A dead spot of light magazine adsol_db https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Main_Page MediaWiki 1.36.3 first-letter Media Special Talk User User talk A dead spot of light magazine A dead spot of light magazine talk File File talk MediaWiki MediaWiki talk Template Template talk Help Help talk Category Category talk Property Property talk Form Form talk Concept Concept talk smw/schema smw/schema talk Rule Rule talk 0 1 1 2021-07-18T14:47:11Z MediaWiki default 2 wikitext text/x-wiki <strong>MediaWiki has been installed.</strong> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software. == Getting started == * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ] * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki] 5702e4d5fd9173246331a889294caf01a3ad3706 20 1 2021-07-18T17:10:57Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 == Getting started == * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ] * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki] b55cc872fabadfb6541153c09e295c5f7570a967 26 20 2021-07-18T20:03:53Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 == Getting started == * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ] * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki] 16622948a5e03bd286437ef6a45d7ec62fa0349c 29 26 2021-07-18T20:10:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 == Getting started == * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ] * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki] 6d8ac18a11cd791a8afdc35a7e80ba76ac1fa2a8 50 29 2021-07-19T17:33:19Z Adsoluser 1 /* Getting started */ wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 4b5ed1655441ba752ab9da0c373eb4be80a5c2e9 54 50 2021-07-19T17:54:00Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing f07ab84cc9956bb5bf90619f47afe0d9e6581021 8 2 2 2021-07-18T15:18:47Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#|[http://www.w3.org/TR/skos-reference/skos.rdf Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)] altLabel|Type:Monolingual text broader|Type:Annotation URI broaderTransitive|Type:Annotation URI broadMatch|Type:Annotation URI changeNote|Type:Text closeMatch|Type:Annotation URI Collection|Class Concept|Class ConceptScheme|Class definition|Type:Text editorialNote|Type:Text exactMatch|Type:Annotation URI example|Type:Text hasTopConcept|Type:Page hiddenLabel|Type:String historyNote|Type:Text inScheme|Type:Page mappingRelation|Type:Page member|Type:Page memberList|Type:Page narrower|Type:Annotation URI narrowerTransitive|Type:Annotation URI narrowMatch|Type:Annotation URI notation|Type:Text note|Type:Text OrderedCollection|Class prefLabel|Type:String related|Type:Annotation URI relatedMatch|Type:Annotation URI scopeNote|Type:Text semanticRelation|Type:Page topConceptOf|Type:Page [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] 4327e3118f75f756b955108e04693a361d19c2cb 8 3 3 2021-07-18T15:18:47Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/|[http://www.foaf-project.org/ Friend Of A Friend] name|Type:Text homepage|Type:URL mbox|Type:Email mbox_sha1sum|Type:Text depiction|Type:URL phone|Type:Text Person|Category Organization|Category knows|Type:Page member|Type:Page [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] 2be18fc91e334e0c7f23bea734cdc2a301fd86e8 8 4 4 2021-07-18T15:18:48Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#|[http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl Web Ontology Language (OWL)] AllDifferent|Category allValuesFrom|Type:Page AnnotationProperty|Category backwardCompatibleWith|Type:Page cardinality|Type:Number Class|Category comment|Type:Page complementOf|Type:Page DataRange|Category DatatypeProperty|Category DeprecatedClass|Category DeprecatedProperty|Category differentFrom|Type:Page disjointWith|Type:Page distinctMembers|Type:Page equivalentClass|Type:Page equivalentProperty|Type:Page FunctionalProperty|Category hasValue|Type:Page imports|Type:Page incompatibleWith|Type:Page intersectionOf|Type:Page InverseFunctionalProperty|Category inverseOf|Type:Page isDefinedBy|Type:Page label|Type:Page maxCardinality|Type:Number minCardinality|Type:Number Nothing|Category ObjectProperty|Category oneOf|Type:Page onProperty|Type:Page Ontology|Category OntologyProperty|Category owl|Type:Page priorVersion|Type:Page Restriction|Category sameAs|Type:Page seeAlso|Type:Page someValuesFrom|Type:Page SymmetricProperty|Category Thing|Category TransitiveProperty|Category unionOf|Type:Page versionInfo|Type:Page [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] c109cc4c667590611dc35b3d06655129c572809a 102 5 5 2021-07-18T15:18:48Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki * [[Imported from::foaf:knows]] * [[Property description::A person known by this person (indicating some level of reciprocated interaction between the parties).@en]] [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] {{DISPLAYTITLE:foaf:knows}} e9134ab265b9bc923266ffa2bbcde2b59557202a 102 6 6 2021-07-18T15:18:48Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki * [[Imported from::foaf:name]] * [[Property description::A name for some thing or agent.@en]] [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] {{DISPLAYTITLE:foaf:name}} 2a8b3537cd6d95e741d56a2fe5b824216824c2e3 102 7 7 2021-07-18T15:18:48Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki * [[Imported from::foaf:homepage]] * [[Property description::URL of the homepage of something, which is a general web resource.@en]] [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] {{DISPLAYTITLE:foaf:homepage}} 083058f1760bcc251820336dbe29dee9a38516e6 102 8 8 2021-07-18T15:18:48Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki default vocabulary import wikitext text/x-wiki * [[Imported from::owl:differentFrom]] * [[Property description::The property that determines that two given individuals are different.@en]] [[Category:Imported vocabulary]] {{DISPLAYTITLE:owl:differentFrom}} d706757d4fb8eff4bb5622ea05ea7cab2f3b1a0c 112 9 9 2021-07-18T15:18:48Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki group import smw/schema application/json { "type": "PROPERTY_GROUP_SCHEMA", "groups": { "schema_group": { "canonical_name": "Schema properties", "message_key": "smw-property-group-label-schema-group", "property_keys": [ "_SCHEMA_TYPE", "_SCHEMA_DEF", "_SCHEMA_DESC", "_SCHEMA_TAG", "_SCHEMA_LINK", "_FORMAT_SCHEMA", "_CONSTRAINT_SCHEMA", "_PROFILE_SCHEMA" ] } }, "tags": [ "group", "property group" ] } fdba38d9db40d0248af036f81b4b7fdb74f6170d 112 10 10 2021-07-18T15:18:49Z 127.0.0.1 0 Semantic MediaWiki group import smw/schema application/json { "type": "PROPERTY_GROUP_SCHEMA", "groups": { "administrative_group": { "canonical_name": "Adminstrative properties", "message_key": "smw-property-group-label-administrative-properties", "property_keys": [ "_MDAT", "_CDAT", "_NEWP", "_LEDT", "_DTITLE", "_CHGPRO", "_EDIP", "_ERRC" ] }, "classification_group": { "canonical_name": "Classification properties", "message_key": "smw-property-group-label-classification-properties", "property_keys": [ "_INST", "_PPGR", "_SUBP", "_SUBC" ] }, "content_group": { "canonical_name": "Content properties", "message_key": "smw-property-group-label-content-properties", "property_keys": [ "_SOBJ", "_ASK", "_MEDIA", "_MIME", "_ATTCH_LINK", "_FILE_ATTCH", "_CONT_TYPE", "_CONT_AUTHOR", "_CONT_LEN", "_CONT_LANG", "_CONT_TITLE", "_CONT_DATE", "_CONT_KEYW", "_TRANS", "_TRANS_SOURCE", "_TRANS_GROUP" ] }, "declarative_group": { "canonical_name": "Declarative properties", "message_key": "smw-property-group-label-declarative-properties", "property_keys": [ "_TYPE", "_UNIT", "_IMPO", "_CONV", "_SERV", "_PVAL", "_LIST", "_PREC", "_PDESC", "_PPLB", "_PVAP", "_PVALI", "_PVUC", "_PEID", "_PEFU" ] } }, "tags": [ "group", "property group" ] } 8536eb8767d6dc5a87a0b4f7791b9cd791acbd75 6 11 11 2021-07-18T16:21:06Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 12 12 2021-07-18T16:58:04Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "'''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the p..." wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. f5f1b727028bfd2c1991b4c57dc4f32abe061fd6 13 12 2021-07-18T16:58:34Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. 7ac435f17fb4701713599a43cdf9b9ba33eec23b 14 13 2021-07-18T16:59:28Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. aca76b67bea66fd1d985bd1199ccbd70782688d4 15 14 2021-07-18T17:00:21Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. [[Sylvan Realm]] [[Black Metal]] [[Dark Metal]] [[USA]] 4070975af260154e2d438d3f4f293255cb2776fc 16 15 2021-07-18T17:00:51Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. [[Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Black Metal]] -- [[Dark Metal]] -- [[USA]] 29ceed74a9ac47613418535f9f612c432317a4c0 17 16 2021-07-18T17:02:21Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. [[Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Black Metal]] -- [[Dark Metal]] -- [[USA]] -- [[2021]] 5093a147b41ba6436282a7988a94dc907f6da173 31 17 2021-07-19T15:22:02Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Dark Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2021]] 4eb04cb801f4eedbe4b768daea35ca10f9b50434 47 31 2021-07-19T15:31:34Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Dark Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2021]] 3945c318d22ccae7cb4ebad63c16ce6795f8ea6f 0 13 18 2021-07-18T17:07:42Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "'''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of o..." wikitext text/x-wiki '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> 9b78a0e2045d9dad132072cd6782a051ce036a63 19 18 2021-07-18T17:09:24Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> [[Czechia]] -- [[Black Metal]] -- [[Experimental]] -- [[2021]] 5b45a12847d2b65b99a622db056bacfe4c4b1da2 34 19 2021-07-19T15:24:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] 8489bff0adb602bd81cf7f1cbd84e290c77d3a9f 48 34 2021-07-19T15:31:55Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] 9758b4342cbefe7b00b3b0468ed0783bc95f2d8b 0 16 24 2021-07-18T20:02:36Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "'''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very we..." wikitext text/x-wiki '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. 63b77c5fde1b2231887eff9a3488b89ef52063b1 25 24 2021-07-18T20:03:31Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. [[Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Black Metal]] -- [[2011]] -- [[USA]] d6e0ee946d8806eb5eab3bf74539e3a6461f24a1 32 25 2021-07-19T15:23:30Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:2011]] -- [[Category:USA]] 7d2931771bfdde7ae95a9bb4cc6ca27b5dc6a6bb 46 32 2021-07-19T15:31:22Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:2011]] -- [[Category:USA]] d926f48210ff93b66a8cc43398554b61287ebe4b 0 17 27 2021-07-18T20:08:22Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "'''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into..." wikitext text/x-wiki '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. 38a15e79354bd4a56d81e549774a7c8b0a3e3d3b 28 27 2021-07-18T20:09:19Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. [[Reverie]] -- [[Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Black Metal]] -- [[USA]] -- [[2008]] 91b694d30479ef1b7f93db4f79177a193724952a 33 28 2021-07-19T15:23:44Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. [[Category:Reverie]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2008]] 0e502f2fa85fee7fc8b0941a33097b9cb40e1502 45 33 2021-07-19T15:31:05Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Reverie]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2008]] 0c4b2dddadaacbfa1eb01c679d2fc1858d2ed2d3 14 18 35 2021-07-19T15:24:20Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 19 36 2021-07-19T15:25:23Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 20 37 2021-07-19T15:25:45Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 21 38 2021-07-19T15:26:00Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 22 39 2021-07-19T15:26:11Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 23 40 2021-07-19T15:26:26Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 24 41 2021-07-19T15:27:30Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 25 42 2021-07-19T15:27:40Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 26 43 2021-07-19T15:29:32Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 27 44 2021-07-19T15:29:41Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 28 49 2021-07-19T15:32:13Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 29 51 2021-07-19T17:49:43Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery t..." wikitext text/x-wiki Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery that tends to surrounds the concept that is expressed in the/an album. Similar can be pointed to in this case here. The title "Towards the Great White Nothing" indicates something, hints on something, projects something. Something that is and that might be reached at some point and through some means. This would be one reading of it. Another points into the realm of alchemy and towards <i>Nihilum album</i> and therefore to Zinc oxide. Does this then explain or help to unravel the mysteries that are contained in the title of the release? Certainly not, but the aforementioned reference is probably some utterly useless information that you, dear reader, have now put to memory -- you are welcome. <i>Nihilum album</i>, remember it. Anyway, Voluptas' debut album contains only five tracks, which span over a mere length of thirty minutes, but maybe this would be enough to disentangle all that had been laid out in the title of the release. The aspect of white can be interpreted in various kind of ways. In regard of the music, there is the facet of white noise as part of the noise genre that comes to mind of course. Whether the end of the closing track "Desert Twilight" is exactly that, can (or should?) be left open to debate. Nevertheless, the way the album closes, the utter distortion of the flow of music, the unmistakable disregard for harmonics and flow of music are all together an argument that can be used to point into this direction. Sadly, the band from Czechia is not able to create such an atmosphere over the course of the five tracks that this last and final part of the music would by itself work as a counterpoint to what had been presented prior to this. It somehow feels like a missed opportunity. A strange hurrah towards a end, a disturbing crescendo to break it all down and drown the listener into a world of white noise. This has not so much to do with the contrast of the end, but how it flows towards it. By breaking down the flow in terms of the atmosphere and by avoiding a comparably more daring approach, Voluptas' debut is in the end not always conclusive or convincing. On a slight side-note, one might wonder whether a band like Forgotten Silence has had an impact here. Furthermore, why only 13:36? Is this play on the length intentionally? ... and what about the rest, then? In its core the music is black metal. This is how the album opens and this is also the style the band feels comfortable with. Raw in essence, cold at heart and unmistakable in expression. What made their debut release slightly different had been cast aside and replaced with a focus on core essences of the aforementioned genre. No more saxophone and no more messing around. Fun times are over and the (black) bleakness has taken over and command. Crystalline Key, the opener of the this output, sets the pace and tone. A hollow scream at the very beginning along with a initial intense blast and then the listener is pushed along. The style is modern, progressive, but not overtly daring. A nod towards Karst, a nod towards Enslaved, but not towards Primordial. Why? There is never this intensity of emotion, there is never this intensity of expression. Also not towards Aenaon. Voluptas likes to keep things at bay, likes to channel it into a different direction. Their music contains moments of calmness and counterpoints. It is not a "storm" from the beginning to the end and no wall of guitars. The tracks are playful, have a lot of dynamics and well crafted motives. But as most of them are around 4 minutes in length, the complexity and progressiveness is kept at bay, as the Czech simply did not have that much time at their disposal. Interestingly enough the album itself is comparably diverse and by no means limited in terms of expressions. The tracks are generally spot on and appear to play with the expectations of the listener at times. Especially as those breaks and switches in dynamics are of a type that cannot be predicted. Leaving the last track out this discussion for a moment, <b>Of Gnosis and Agony</b> meanders around in a melodic kind of way, while the succeeding <b>Between Terror and Erebus</b> throws barrage after barrage towards the listener. The opener would be mixture of these two. Considering that some time passed between their debut release and this one, it feels that some effort had been put into crafting it. A lot of the facets of the compositions appear balanced out and also the instruments are well performed and arranged. The vocals -- screams, growls -- are a bit muffled at times, but this is not much of nuisance. The question remains what had been achieved once the white nothing has been reached towards the end of the release. The last track is not something akin to what Satyricon had added to two of their releases; Rebel Extravaganza and Volcano. There a certain level of coherence was found, while in this case the stylistic deviation appears uncalled for and on a too large a scale. It would have been better to get rid of the last track altogether and replace it with something else. Considering the quality and flexibility that can be examined throughout the release, Voluptas should have found no difficulty to come up with some additional tracks and ideas. In this state <b>Towards the Great White Nothing</b> is a bit inconclusive. Comparing these two releases of the band that have seen the light so far is difficult, because they differ from each other considerably. In style and sound either of them have a consistent and "unique" set of sound or style. Yet, this latest output appears to be more mature and better crafted. [[Category:Review]] -- [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] 9942cc60330fc644c69c6e4e5797e885b008f634 53 51 2021-07-19T17:51:10Z Adsoluser 1 Adsoluser moved page [[Voluptas Towards the Great White Nothing]] to [[Voluptas - Towards the Great White Nothing]] without leaving a redirect wikitext text/x-wiki Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery that tends to surrounds the concept that is expressed in the/an album. Similar can be pointed to in this case here. The title "Towards the Great White Nothing" indicates something, hints on something, projects something. Something that is and that might be reached at some point and through some means. This would be one reading of it. Another points into the realm of alchemy and towards <i>Nihilum album</i> and therefore to Zinc oxide. Does this then explain or help to unravel the mysteries that are contained in the title of the release? Certainly not, but the aforementioned reference is probably some utterly useless information that you, dear reader, have now put to memory -- you are welcome. <i>Nihilum album</i>, remember it. Anyway, Voluptas' debut album contains only five tracks, which span over a mere length of thirty minutes, but maybe this would be enough to disentangle all that had been laid out in the title of the release. The aspect of white can be interpreted in various kind of ways. In regard of the music, there is the facet of white noise as part of the noise genre that comes to mind of course. Whether the end of the closing track "Desert Twilight" is exactly that, can (or should?) be left open to debate. Nevertheless, the way the album closes, the utter distortion of the flow of music, the unmistakable disregard for harmonics and flow of music are all together an argument that can be used to point into this direction. Sadly, the band from Czechia is not able to create such an atmosphere over the course of the five tracks that this last and final part of the music would by itself work as a counterpoint to what had been presented prior to this. It somehow feels like a missed opportunity. A strange hurrah towards a end, a disturbing crescendo to break it all down and drown the listener into a world of white noise. This has not so much to do with the contrast of the end, but how it flows towards it. By breaking down the flow in terms of the atmosphere and by avoiding a comparably more daring approach, Voluptas' debut is in the end not always conclusive or convincing. On a slight side-note, one might wonder whether a band like Forgotten Silence has had an impact here. Furthermore, why only 13:36? Is this play on the length intentionally? ... and what about the rest, then? In its core the music is black metal. This is how the album opens and this is also the style the band feels comfortable with. Raw in essence, cold at heart and unmistakable in expression. What made their debut release slightly different had been cast aside and replaced with a focus on core essences of the aforementioned genre. No more saxophone and no more messing around. Fun times are over and the (black) bleakness has taken over and command. Crystalline Key, the opener of the this output, sets the pace and tone. A hollow scream at the very beginning along with a initial intense blast and then the listener is pushed along. The style is modern, progressive, but not overtly daring. A nod towards Karst, a nod towards Enslaved, but not towards Primordial. Why? There is never this intensity of emotion, there is never this intensity of expression. Also not towards Aenaon. Voluptas likes to keep things at bay, likes to channel it into a different direction. Their music contains moments of calmness and counterpoints. It is not a "storm" from the beginning to the end and no wall of guitars. The tracks are playful, have a lot of dynamics and well crafted motives. But as most of them are around 4 minutes in length, the complexity and progressiveness is kept at bay, as the Czech simply did not have that much time at their disposal. Interestingly enough the album itself is comparably diverse and by no means limited in terms of expressions. The tracks are generally spot on and appear to play with the expectations of the listener at times. Especially as those breaks and switches in dynamics are of a type that cannot be predicted. Leaving the last track out this discussion for a moment, <b>Of Gnosis and Agony</b> meanders around in a melodic kind of way, while the succeeding <b>Between Terror and Erebus</b> throws barrage after barrage towards the listener. The opener would be mixture of these two. Considering that some time passed between their debut release and this one, it feels that some effort had been put into crafting it. A lot of the facets of the compositions appear balanced out and also the instruments are well performed and arranged. The vocals -- screams, growls -- are a bit muffled at times, but this is not much of nuisance. The question remains what had been achieved once the white nothing has been reached towards the end of the release. The last track is not something akin to what Satyricon had added to two of their releases; Rebel Extravaganza and Volcano. There a certain level of coherence was found, while in this case the stylistic deviation appears uncalled for and on a too large a scale. It would have been better to get rid of the last track altogether and replace it with something else. Considering the quality and flexibility that can be examined throughout the release, Voluptas should have found no difficulty to come up with some additional tracks and ideas. In this state <b>Towards the Great White Nothing</b> is a bit inconclusive. Comparing these two releases of the band that have seen the light so far is difficult, because they differ from each other considerably. In style and sound either of them have a consistent and "unique" set of sound or style. Yet, this latest output appears to be more mature and better crafted. [[Category:Review]] -- [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] 9942cc60330fc644c69c6e4e5797e885b008f634 14 30 52 2021-07-19T17:50:43Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 31 55 2021-07-19T17:55:02Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that..." wikitext text/x-wiki As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. 6726f13f69198d1ba0971da0a051dae23d79d948 56 55 2021-07-19T17:55:31Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. fb95983d58adbd8daa9deb44047987e02d8abdbf 58 56 2021-07-19T17:57:38Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. [[Category:Review]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2021]] 931f5184aee86d0d7bf30e1e0a25148591572bef 63 58 2021-07-19T18:00:29Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2021]] 121d16eb7864f494ed09e2b9e747c44efbc396dc 64 63 2021-07-19T18:01:20Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2020]] bce236d77241862b2b0b94fbd3a3916853f2b7b9 95 64 2021-07-21T17:56:56Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2020]] 251fe4859761bf9f366db113e9c8dafd40ef44cc 0 1 57 54 2021-07-19T17:56:34Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing 8596261c45fce171da01dde3729bc4cd1fb11550 70 57 2021-07-19T18:35:48Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you | rowspan="3" | |- |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |- |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} f269fcef4e9354977cc43a8a164d66c2a56b3d08 71 70 2021-07-19T18:37:40Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 54b0a58ee7120b296c368551447fabecf437f87f 72 71 2021-07-19T18:38:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} df483268029fedae1af3f86af0ff35328fdb1065 99 72 2021-07-21T18:04:16Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] }} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} e5bfd546928482dbe8e21ef0273969ccb7c7c6fc 100 99 2021-07-21T18:06:07Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |limit=3 }} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 5381a55803a6da5baf38371d8518f68c5f28b28c 103 100 2021-07-21T18:09:39Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |?Genre |?Year |limit=3 }} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} c835934e5a28bf5f1a36d103c2610126b6a8a5a6 105 103 2021-07-21T18:12:33Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=3 }} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} cf699d8f981e18a017c0a6d8050d745a96f77035 0 29 59 53 2021-07-19T17:58:12Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery that tends to surrounds the concept that is expressed in the/an album. Similar can be pointed to in this case here. The title "Towards the Great White Nothing" indicates something, hints on something, projects something. Something that is and that might be reached at some point and through some means. This would be one reading of it. Another points into the realm of alchemy and towards <i>Nihilum album</i> and therefore to Zinc oxide. Does this then explain or help to unravel the mysteries that are contained in the title of the release? Certainly not, but the aforementioned reference is probably some utterly useless information that you, dear reader, have now put to memory -- you are welcome. <i>Nihilum album</i>, remember it. Anyway, Voluptas' debut album contains only five tracks, which span over a mere length of thirty minutes, but maybe this would be enough to disentangle all that had been laid out in the title of the release. The aspect of white can be interpreted in various kind of ways. In regard of the music, there is the facet of white noise as part of the noise genre that comes to mind of course. Whether the end of the closing track "Desert Twilight" is exactly that, can (or should?) be left open to debate. Nevertheless, the way the album closes, the utter distortion of the flow of music, the unmistakable disregard for harmonics and flow of music are all together an argument that can be used to point into this direction. Sadly, the band from Czechia is not able to create such an atmosphere over the course of the five tracks that this last and final part of the music would by itself work as a counterpoint to what had been presented prior to this. It somehow feels like a missed opportunity. A strange hurrah towards a end, a disturbing crescendo to break it all down and drown the listener into a world of white noise. This has not so much to do with the contrast of the end, but how it flows towards it. By breaking down the flow in terms of the atmosphere and by avoiding a comparably more daring approach, Voluptas' debut is in the end not always conclusive or convincing. On a slight side-note, one might wonder whether a band like Forgotten Silence has had an impact here. Furthermore, why only 13:36? Is this play on the length intentionally? ... and what about the rest, then? In its core the music is black metal. This is how the album opens and this is also the style the band feels comfortable with. Raw in essence, cold at heart and unmistakable in expression. What made their debut release slightly different had been cast aside and replaced with a focus on core essences of the aforementioned genre. No more saxophone and no more messing around. Fun times are over and the (black) bleakness has taken over and command. Crystalline Key, the opener of the this output, sets the pace and tone. A hollow scream at the very beginning along with a initial intense blast and then the listener is pushed along. The style is modern, progressive, but not overtly daring. A nod towards Karst, a nod towards Enslaved, but not towards Primordial. Why? There is never this intensity of emotion, there is never this intensity of expression. Also not towards Aenaon. Voluptas likes to keep things at bay, likes to channel it into a different direction. Their music contains moments of calmness and counterpoints. It is not a "storm" from the beginning to the end and no wall of guitars. The tracks are playful, have a lot of dynamics and well crafted motives. But as most of them are around 4 minutes in length, the complexity and progressiveness is kept at bay, as the Czech simply did not have that much time at their disposal. Interestingly enough the album itself is comparably diverse and by no means limited in terms of expressions. The tracks are generally spot on and appear to play with the expectations of the listener at times. Especially as those breaks and switches in dynamics are of a type that cannot be predicted. Leaving the last track out this discussion for a moment, <b>Of Gnosis and Agony</b> meanders around in a melodic kind of way, while the succeeding <b>Between Terror and Erebus</b> throws barrage after barrage towards the listener. The opener would be mixture of these two. Considering that some time passed between their debut release and this one, it feels that some effort had been put into crafting it. A lot of the facets of the compositions appear balanced out and also the instruments are well performed and arranged. The vocals -- screams, growls -- are a bit muffled at times, but this is not much of nuisance. The question remains what had been achieved once the white nothing has been reached towards the end of the release. The last track is not something akin to what Satyricon had added to two of their releases; Rebel Extravaganza and Volcano. There a certain level of coherence was found, while in this case the stylistic deviation appears uncalled for and on a too large a scale. It would have been better to get rid of the last track altogether and replace it with something else. Considering the quality and flexibility that can be examined throughout the release, Voluptas should have found no difficulty to come up with some additional tracks and ideas. In this state <b>Towards the Great White Nothing</b> is a bit inconclusive. Comparing these two releases of the band that have seen the light so far is difficult, because they differ from each other considerably. In style and sound either of them have a consistent and "unique" set of sound or style. Yet, this latest output appears to be more mature and better crafted. [[Category:Review]] -- [[Category:Voluptas]]-- [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] 21f6d948ab3f5b23a0f7979fa9ec009945785cf0 97 59 2021-07-21T17:57:38Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery that tends to surrounds the concept that is expressed in the/an album. Similar can be pointed to in this case here. The title "Towards the Great White Nothing" indicates something, hints on something, projects something. Something that is and that might be reached at some point and through some means. This would be one reading of it. Another points into the realm of alchemy and towards <i>Nihilum album</i> and therefore to Zinc oxide. Does this then explain or help to unravel the mysteries that are contained in the title of the release? Certainly not, but the aforementioned reference is probably some utterly useless information that you, dear reader, have now put to memory -- you are welcome. <i>Nihilum album</i>, remember it. Anyway, Voluptas' debut album contains only five tracks, which span over a mere length of thirty minutes, but maybe this would be enough to disentangle all that had been laid out in the title of the release. The aspect of white can be interpreted in various kind of ways. In regard of the music, there is the facet of white noise as part of the noise genre that comes to mind of course. Whether the end of the closing track "Desert Twilight" is exactly that, can (or should?) be left open to debate. Nevertheless, the way the album closes, the utter distortion of the flow of music, the unmistakable disregard for harmonics and flow of music are all together an argument that can be used to point into this direction. Sadly, the band from Czechia is not able to create such an atmosphere over the course of the five tracks that this last and final part of the music would by itself work as a counterpoint to what had been presented prior to this. It somehow feels like a missed opportunity. A strange hurrah towards a end, a disturbing crescendo to break it all down and drown the listener into a world of white noise. This has not so much to do with the contrast of the end, but how it flows towards it. By breaking down the flow in terms of the atmosphere and by avoiding a comparably more daring approach, Voluptas' debut is in the end not always conclusive or convincing. On a slight side-note, one might wonder whether a band like Forgotten Silence has had an impact here. Furthermore, why only 13:36? Is this play on the length intentionally? ... and what about the rest, then? In its core the music is black metal. This is how the album opens and this is also the style the band feels comfortable with. Raw in essence, cold at heart and unmistakable in expression. What made their debut release slightly different had been cast aside and replaced with a focus on core essences of the aforementioned genre. No more saxophone and no more messing around. Fun times are over and the (black) bleakness has taken over and command. Crystalline Key, the opener of the this output, sets the pace and tone. A hollow scream at the very beginning along with a initial intense blast and then the listener is pushed along. The style is modern, progressive, but not overtly daring. A nod towards Karst, a nod towards Enslaved, but not towards Primordial. Why? There is never this intensity of emotion, there is never this intensity of expression. Also not towards Aenaon. Voluptas likes to keep things at bay, likes to channel it into a different direction. Their music contains moments of calmness and counterpoints. It is not a "storm" from the beginning to the end and no wall of guitars. The tracks are playful, have a lot of dynamics and well crafted motives. But as most of them are around 4 minutes in length, the complexity and progressiveness is kept at bay, as the Czech simply did not have that much time at their disposal. Interestingly enough the album itself is comparably diverse and by no means limited in terms of expressions. The tracks are generally spot on and appear to play with the expectations of the listener at times. Especially as those breaks and switches in dynamics are of a type that cannot be predicted. Leaving the last track out this discussion for a moment, <b>Of Gnosis and Agony</b> meanders around in a melodic kind of way, while the succeeding <b>Between Terror and Erebus</b> throws barrage after barrage towards the listener. The opener would be mixture of these two. Considering that some time passed between their debut release and this one, it feels that some effort had been put into crafting it. A lot of the facets of the compositions appear balanced out and also the instruments are well performed and arranged. The vocals -- screams, growls -- are a bit muffled at times, but this is not much of nuisance. The question remains what had been achieved once the white nothing has been reached towards the end of the release. The last track is not something akin to what Satyricon had added to two of their releases; Rebel Extravaganza and Volcano. There a certain level of coherence was found, while in this case the stylistic deviation appears uncalled for and on a too large a scale. It would have been better to get rid of the last track altogether and replace it with something else. Considering the quality and flexibility that can be examined throughout the release, Voluptas should have found no difficulty to come up with some additional tracks and ideas. In this state <b>Towards the Great White Nothing</b> is a bit inconclusive. Comparing these two releases of the band that have seen the light so far is difficult, because they differ from each other considerably. In style and sound either of them have a consistent and "unique" set of sound or style. Yet, this latest output appears to be more mature and better crafted. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]] -- [[Category:Voluptas]]-- [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] b7a912d71b9a71e7ee434c33a365e9d18821ae29 98 97 2021-07-21T17:58:05Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery that tends to surrounds the concept that is expressed in the/an album. Similar can be pointed to in this case here. The title "Towards the Great White Nothing" indicates something, hints on something, projects something. Something that is and that might be reached at some point and through some means. This would be one reading of it. Another points into the realm of alchemy and towards <i>Nihilum album</i> and therefore to Zinc oxide. Does this then explain or help to unravel the mysteries that are contained in the title of the release? Certainly not, but the aforementioned reference is probably some utterly useless information that you, dear reader, have now put to memory -- you are welcome. <i>Nihilum album</i>, remember it. Anyway, Voluptas' debut album contains only five tracks, which span over a mere length of thirty minutes, but maybe this would be enough to disentangle all that had been laid out in the title of the release. The aspect of white can be interpreted in various kind of ways. In regard of the music, there is the facet of white noise as part of the noise genre that comes to mind of course. Whether the end of the closing track "Desert Twilight" is exactly that, can (or should?) be left open to debate. Nevertheless, the way the album closes, the utter distortion of the flow of music, the unmistakable disregard for harmonics and flow of music are all together an argument that can be used to point into this direction. Sadly, the band from Czechia is not able to create such an atmosphere over the course of the five tracks that this last and final part of the music would by itself work as a counterpoint to what had been presented prior to this. It somehow feels like a missed opportunity. A strange hurrah towards a end, a disturbing crescendo to break it all down and drown the listener into a world of white noise. This has not so much to do with the contrast of the end, but how it flows towards it. By breaking down the flow in terms of the atmosphere and by avoiding a comparably more daring approach, Voluptas' debut is in the end not always conclusive or convincing. On a slight side-note, one might wonder whether a band like Forgotten Silence has had an impact here. Furthermore, why only 13:36? Is this play on the length intentionally? ... and what about the rest, then? In its core the music is black metal. This is how the album opens and this is also the style the band feels comfortable with. Raw in essence, cold at heart and unmistakable in expression. What made their debut release slightly different had been cast aside and replaced with a focus on core essences of the aforementioned genre. No more saxophone and no more messing around. Fun times are over and the (black) bleakness has taken over and command. Crystalline Key, the opener of the this output, sets the pace and tone. A hollow scream at the very beginning along with a initial intense blast and then the listener is pushed along. The style is modern, progressive, but not overtly daring. A nod towards Karst, a nod towards Enslaved, but not towards Primordial. Why? There is never this intensity of emotion, there is never this intensity of expression. Also not towards Aenaon. Voluptas likes to keep things at bay, likes to channel it into a different direction. Their music contains moments of calmness and counterpoints. It is not a "storm" from the beginning to the end and no wall of guitars. The tracks are playful, have a lot of dynamics and well crafted motives. But as most of them are around 4 minutes in length, the complexity and progressiveness is kept at bay, as the Czech simply did not have that much time at their disposal. Interestingly enough the album itself is comparably diverse and by no means limited in terms of expressions. The tracks are generally spot on and appear to play with the expectations of the listener at times. Especially as those breaks and switches in dynamics are of a type that cannot be predicted. Leaving the last track out this discussion for a moment, <b>Of Gnosis and Agony</b> meanders around in a melodic kind of way, while the succeeding <b>Between Terror and Erebus</b> throws barrage after barrage towards the listener. The opener would be mixture of these two. Considering that some time passed between their debut release and this one, it feels that some effort had been put into crafting it. A lot of the facets of the compositions appear balanced out and also the instruments are well performed and arranged. The vocals -- screams, growls -- are a bit muffled at times, but this is not much of nuisance. The question remains what had been achieved once the white nothing has been reached towards the end of the release. The last track is not something akin to what Satyricon had added to two of their releases; Rebel Extravaganza and Volcano. There a certain level of coherence was found, while in this case the stylistic deviation appears uncalled for and on a too large a scale. It would have been better to get rid of the last track altogether and replace it with something else. Considering the quality and flexibility that can be examined throughout the release, Voluptas should have found no difficulty to come up with some additional tracks and ideas. In this state <b>Towards the Great White Nothing</b> is a bit inconclusive. Comparing these two releases of the band that have seen the light so far is difficult, because they differ from each other considerably. In style and sound either of them have a consistent and "unique" set of sound or style. Yet, this latest output appears to be more mature and better crafted. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] 238adafc0ce1bbd246808e158154f27d091da650 14 32 60 2021-07-19T17:58:21Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 13 61 48 2021-07-19T17:58:47Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Voluptas]] -- [[Category:Czechia]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Experimental]] -- [[Category:2021]] 4bdc0e20a707d10b634c18efb5c0f9d033303106 62 61 2021-07-19T17:59:36Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] 8d2fbd58801b463b0055f6e4a78ce57d76887dbb 96 62 2021-07-21T17:57:18Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] f30467fdd242fb637121a7e87999a09e07d55682 101 96 2021-07-21T18:08:43Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]][[Year:2021]][[Genre:Black Metal]] aeefbec1850b526b8ddec74835957f1180c8d83f 102 101 2021-07-21T18:09:05Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]][[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]] 963dfb1241f2e1d777ff30ae3b5714b86fe4cea6 104 102 2021-07-21T18:11:24Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]] </div> 99d5f7576df0f9cc1ece998e4ccc5e9a467398eb 14 33 65 2021-07-19T18:01:28Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 34 66 2021-07-19T18:03:35Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "It does not take an intro, it does not take some sort of interlude to progress from the one and only release of Reverie to the Sylvan Realm project. The first seconds of the f..." wikitext text/x-wiki It does not take an intro, it does not take some sort of interlude to progress from the one and only release of Reverie to the Sylvan Realm project. The first seconds of the first track direct the attention of the listener on the pathway the person behind it decided to move on. No time to breathe, no time for a short moment for collecting one’s thoughts; a beat and of it goes … everything earlier is simply swept away. Indeed, the music seems to have undergone a certain evolution since the days of Reverie. Black Metal? In certain boundaries this has some truths in it, but once the album is examined from a broader perspective, then the reduction to this one genre alone seems unnecessarily as well as artificially limited. The opener reveals this progression neatly, because in it most of the elements are presented succinctly. Melodic, powerful, well arranged and some well-crafted riffs make up the performance of Sylvan Realm. Death metal makes an appearance as well, along small influences from other genres; like heavy metal or even thrash. Riff structures, as they are often used in the black metal genre, appear on a rather small scale and limitation in facets is avoided at all costs. Instead, the music is rich in facets and various influences. Multiple layers woven together instead of a simplistic approach – Disappear into the Landscape –, a neat transition between the compositions – Temple of Not – and even choir parts – The Lodge of Transcendence – are now part of the oeuvre of Sylvan Realm. The breadth of the conceptual approach is by no means covered by all of these examples, but they give an indication on what to expect on this recording. The title track should be emphasized in this respect. Rhythm models that break all barriers of conventionality and a level of variation in terms of the arrangements make it exceptional on this debut album. It is especially due to ideas like the closing motive and the progressive influences presented in it that might leave the listener astounded about the richness in facets of this output. Nevertheless, it would be fair point to describe the way some aspects appear a slightly bit random and as not being fully immersed in the rest of the art; this would be especially true in terms of Twilight Kingdom. Many aspects presented on ‘The Lodge of Transcendence‘ merge very naturally though. Be it the various types of vocals, would it be the breaks and interludes in the compositions, nothing really gives the impression of being alien to the concept in any serious way. <u><b>Twilight Kingdom:</b></u> The closing composition of this album is a track that differs significantly from everything that makes up the dominant part of this album. No more metal guitars, drums and aggressive vocals. Instead, a play of acoustic guitars together with a calm voice try to compensate the listener for the heaviness this person had to endure from the very first second up to this very composition. It is a counterpoint and a strong one at that. Nearly nine minutes in length it provides a wonderful example of how a small set of instruments can be used to create a very dense and intense listening experience. Empyrium comes to the mind, though not their early works but their later ones. A difference might appear in the tone and direction of the music. While the Germans had a slightly depressing touch in their art, the Americans are a bit more uplifting. Similar are both attempts the role of the vocals, whose part appears in a narrating manner, but not excessively in terms of the share that they would take in the music; the instruments have a lot of room to unfold their atmosphere. What can be criticized though is the way this style appears on the record. Unlike on the Reverie recording, the acoustic part gives rather an impression of being an appendix, rather than an essential aspect of the music, which ‘moves’ like a red line through the album. <u><b>The hidden track:</b></u> As outlined in the interview (see link at the bottom of the review), this thing is suppose to have a special meaning … but I can tell you it did not reveal itself in the first several spins that I listened to this thing … it clearly did not. Maybe it is because English is not my mother tongue that I am not able to understand everything of this distorted voice. Even after a rather intense listening attempt, I failed to get it … so; you have to look for another reviewer to take up on this issue and to reveal the mystery, which surrounds this hidden track. Well, SR are not the only band that wants to have the final laugh, because further examples are: Karjalan Sissit’s Tanssit On Loppu Nyt or Nattefrost’s Blood and Vomit. What about references to other bands? Sylvan Realm have a lot of influences in the music. One has been mentioned already, but they do not stop there. It would be not too farfetched to throw something of ‘Wolves in the Throne Room’ in here as well – in terms of their atmosphere as well as how they vary their music, while ‘Agalloch’ would point into the wrong direction and October Falls for similar but not the same reasons. Other bands could be named, but some pointless name dropping would result only in confusion. Facets appear now and then, here and there, but a definite comparison seems not to be found easily. If you add these names mentioned before together and throw in some ‘The Mist and the Morning Dew’, then you get a glimpse of what can be found on this release. <b><u>To sum the impressions up:</u></b> Who would have thought of this evolution of the band? Sylvan, the person behind this band, seems to have been quite anxious to bombard the listener with this new release of his and therefore set the pace right from the first second of the debut. From then on, the listener is bombarded with ideas and concepts like there would be no tomorrow and in a way rather uncommon in the extreme metal realm. The reference to Empyrium does by no means cover the array and breadth of performance of Sylvan Realm’s debut album. In fact, the Germans always used a rather limited but really well crafted approach, while the Americans would be unable to follow such a narrowed down concept. This similarity in atmosphere as well as attitude awakes the resemblance in the mind of the listener. The Lodge of Transcendence is an excellent release in many respects and sets the barrier extremely high for the things to come. The easiness, with which the band transgresses all barriers of conventionality and combines them on their debut into an eclectic showbag that contains something for a lot of people, is fascinating indeed. Extreme metal on a high level, loaded with sweet riffs and ideas, as well as an attitude to try something fresh. Nothing but highly recommended. <u>Based on a review written by oneyoudontknow for ‘a dead spot of light magazine (Number 13):</u> <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number13">http://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number13</a> [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2011]] e5d57089f18084b8a5672f4558af4b089474958a 67 66 2021-07-19T18:04:24Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki It does not take an intro, it does not take some sort of interlude to progress from the one and only release of Reverie to the Sylvan Realm project. The first seconds of the first track direct the attention of the listener on the pathway the person behind it decided to move on. No time to breathe, no time for a short moment for collecting one’s thoughts; a beat and of it goes … everything earlier is simply swept away. Indeed, the music seems to have undergone a certain evolution since the days of Reverie. Black Metal? In certain boundaries this has some truths in it, but once the album is examined from a broader perspective, then the reduction to this one genre alone seems unnecessarily as well as artificially limited. The opener reveals this progression neatly, because in it most of the elements are presented succinctly. Melodic, powerful, well arranged and some well-crafted riffs make up the performance of Sylvan Realm. Death metal makes an appearance as well, along small influences from other genres; like heavy metal or even thrash. Riff structures, as they are often used in the black metal genre, appear on a rather small scale and limitation in facets is avoided at all costs. Instead, the music is rich in facets and various influences. Multiple layers woven together instead of a simplistic approach – Disappear into the Landscape –, a neat transition between the compositions – Temple of Not – and even choir parts – The Lodge of Transcendence – are now part of the oeuvre of Sylvan Realm. The breadth of the conceptual approach is by no means covered by all of these examples, but they give an indication on what to expect on this recording. The title track should be emphasized in this respect. Rhythm models that break all barriers of conventionality and a level of variation in terms of the arrangements make it exceptional on this debut album. It is especially due to ideas like the closing motive and the progressive influences presented in it that might leave the listener astounded about the richness in facets of this output. Nevertheless, it would be fair point to describe the way some aspects appear a slightly bit random and as not being fully immersed in the rest of the art; this would be especially true in terms of Twilight Kingdom. Many aspects presented on ‘The Lodge of Transcendence‘ merge very naturally though. Be it the various types of vocals, would it be the breaks and interludes in the compositions, nothing really gives the impression of being alien to the concept in any serious way. <u><b>Twilight Kingdom:</b></u> The closing composition of this album is a track that differs significantly from everything that makes up the dominant part of this album. No more metal guitars, drums and aggressive vocals. Instead, a play of acoustic guitars together with a calm voice try to compensate the listener for the heaviness this person had to endure from the very first second up to this very composition. It is a counterpoint and a strong one at that. Nearly nine minutes in length it provides a wonderful example of how a small set of instruments can be used to create a very dense and intense listening experience. Empyrium comes to the mind, though not their early works but their later ones. A difference might appear in the tone and direction of the music. While the Germans had a slightly depressing touch in their art, the Americans are a bit more uplifting. Similar are both attempts the role of the vocals, whose part appears in a narrating manner, but not excessively in terms of the share that they would take in the music; the instruments have a lot of room to unfold their atmosphere. What can be criticized though is the way this style appears on the record. Unlike on the Reverie recording, the acoustic part gives rather an impression of being an appendix, rather than an essential aspect of the music, which ‘moves’ like a red line through the album. <u><b>The hidden track:</b></u> As outlined in the interview (see link at the bottom of the review), this thing is suppose to have a special meaning … but I can tell you it did not reveal itself in the first several spins that I listened to this thing … it clearly did not. Maybe it is because English is not my mother tongue that I am not able to understand everything of this distorted voice. Even after a rather intense listening attempt, I failed to get it … so; you have to look for another reviewer to take up on this issue and to reveal the mystery, which surrounds this hidden track. Well, SR are not the only band that wants to have the final laugh, because further examples are: Karjalan Sissit’s Tanssit On Loppu Nyt or Nattefrost’s Blood and Vomit. What about references to other bands? Sylvan Realm have a lot of influences in the music. One has been mentioned already, but they do not stop there. It would be not too farfetched to throw something of ‘Wolves in the Throne Room’ in here as well – in terms of their atmosphere as well as how they vary their music, while ‘Agalloch’ would point into the wrong direction and October Falls for similar but not the same reasons. Other bands could be named, but some pointless name dropping would result only in confusion. Facets appear now and then, here and there, but a definite comparison seems not to be found easily. If you add these names mentioned before together and throw in some ‘The Mist and the Morning Dew’, then you get a glimpse of what can be found on this release. <b><u>To sum the impressions up:</u></b> Who would have thought of this evolution of the band? Sylvan, the person behind this band, seems to have been quite anxious to bombard the listener with this new release of his and therefore set the pace right from the first second of the debut. From then on, the listener is bombarded with ideas and concepts like there would be no tomorrow and in a way rather uncommon in the extreme metal realm. The reference to Empyrium does by no means cover the array and breadth of performance of Sylvan Realm’s debut album. In fact, the Germans always used a rather limited but really well crafted approach, while the Americans would be unable to follow such a narrowed down concept. This similarity in atmosphere as well as attitude awakes the resemblance in the mind of the listener. The Lodge of Transcendence is an excellent release in many respects and sets the barrier extremely high for the things to come. The easiness, with which the band transgresses all barriers of conventionality and combines them on their debut into an eclectic showbag that contains something for a lot of people, is fascinating indeed. Extreme metal on a high level, loaded with sweet riffs and ideas, as well as an attitude to try something fresh. Nothing but highly recommended. Based on a review written by oneyoudontknow for ‘a dead spot of light magazine (Number 13): https://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number13 [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2011]] 0a7e5c56043b9d36d666eb2e963779234eed9bfa 2 35 68 2021-07-19T18:09:29Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "No one someone anyone oneyoudontknow" wikitext text/x-wiki No one someone anyone oneyoudontknow ab14843635b0e18a0a75b936f17b4758c2c42e7b 69 68 2021-07-19T18:09:38Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki No one someone anyone oneyoudontknow 2a1aee31d1fb7a86e9eac8fbaa19728486507b55 4 36 73 2021-07-19T18:42:20Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "Impressum of oneyoudontknow.com and the associated subdomains Responsible for the content Thorsten Herbold Rethkampplatz 18 27809 Lemwerder Contact oneyoudon..." wikitext text/x-wiki Impressum of oneyoudontknow.com and the associated subdomains Responsible for the content Thorsten Herbold Rethkampplatz 18 27809 Lemwerder Contact oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net Contents Disclaimer - rechtliche Hinweise 1. 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Auf Anordnung der zuständigen Stellen dürfen wir im Einzelfall Auskunft über diese Daten (Bestandsdaten) erteilen, soweit dies für Zwecke der Strafverfolgung, zur Gefahrenabwehr, zur Erfüllung der gesetzlichen Aufgaben der Verfassungsschutzbehörden oder des Militärischen Abschirmdienstes oder zur Durchsetzung der Rechte am geistigen Eigentum erforderlich ist. Auskunftsrecht Sie haben das jederzeitige Recht, sich unentgeltlich und unverzüglich über die zu Ihrer Person erhobenen Daten zu erkundigen. Sie haben das jederzeitige Recht, Ihre Zustimmung zur Verwendung Ihrer angegeben persönlichen Daten mit Wirkung für die Zukunft zu widerrufen. Zur Auskunftserteilung wenden Sie sich bitte an den Anbieter unter den Kontaktdaten im Impressum. 5. Besondere Nutzungsbedingungen Soweit besondere Bedingungen für einzelne Nutzungen dieser Website von den vorgenannten Nummern 1. bis 4. abweichen, wird an entsprechender Stelle ausdrücklich darauf hingewiesen. In diesem Falle gelten im jeweiligen Einzelfall die besonderen Nutzungsbedingungen. Quelle: Disclaimer Vorlage vom http://www.juraforum.de in Kooperation mit http://www.connektar.de 93d3b2939be7f62076b2b1bc7768c6339f8c30f9 0 37 74 2021-07-21T16:59:16Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and th..." wikitext text/x-wiki It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. [[Category:The Lost Trades]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]] 086e6889abf29eb5cc919098b7ea5394e7b45e64 76 74 2021-07-21T17:00:55Z Adsoluser 1 Adsoluser moved page [[2021-04-02 -- The Lost Trades]] to [[Live 2021-04-02 -- The Lost Trades]] without leaving a redirect wikitext text/x-wiki It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. [[Category:The Lost Trades]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]] 086e6889abf29eb5cc919098b7ea5394e7b45e64 90 76 2021-07-21T17:39:06Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:The Lost Trades]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]] 3a3f7033f1e789ac917ea064cddee209268b2cd3 14 38 75 2021-07-21T16:59:58Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 39 77 2021-07-21T17:01:08Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 40 78 2021-07-21T17:01:18Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 41 79 2021-07-21T17:01:25Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 42 80 2021-07-21T17:01:36Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 8 43 81 2021-07-21T17:19:37Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "/* CSS placed here will be applied to all skins */ .mw-content-ltr { direction: ltr; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }" css text/css /* CSS placed here will be applied to all skins */ .mw-content-ltr { direction: ltr; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } dcd2278e8cb746998083049bb366e197192f709f 82 81 2021-07-21T17:22:44Z Adsoluser 1 css text/css /* CSS placed here will be applied to all skins */ .mw-content-ltr { #direction: ltr; #margin-left: 15%; #margin-right: 15%; } 3acd0340ceecd5bd350b378db51a9ae15163d926 86 82 2021-07-21T17:32:42Z Adsoluser 1 css text/css /* CSS placed here will be applied to all skins */ f23a4358c198efde0025fa6fb8082854aa392a65 0 44 83 2021-07-21T17:23:51Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and thi..." wikitext text/x-wiki It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. da22290aedc67e5802cb8647dbae617accf2cb6e 84 83 2021-07-21T17:25:48Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. |} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. e937513eb2b717395c4718ede9f740e6013e23a9 85 84 2021-07-21T17:31:33Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. |} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. <div style="margin-left: 15%; margin-right:15%;"> It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. </div> 4cd1dbd56ab3b1d29bad3fb64dfac4d709f0a497 89 85 2021-07-21T17:38:34Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. |} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. {{Template:StartContent}} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. {{Template:EndContent}} 9b80c99ce170a0e882cfd58ffd8ce52b3b5f5b02 10 45 87 2021-07-21T17:37:17Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "<div style="margin-left: 15%; margin-right:15%;">" wikitext text/x-wiki <div style="margin-left: 15%; margin-right:15%;"> e63f9b369a1b795e0d4e6ed77c96e8e1f03032f5 10 46 88 2021-07-21T17:37:41Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "</div>" wikitext text/x-wiki </div> 125a168e24b2bd38aadb84cbb5f87f316b073c41 0 17 92 45 2021-07-21T17:55:55Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Reverie]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2008]] 46ffc4c814ccff775a6ed869f4510dc5342f48a4 0 16 93 46 2021-07-21T17:56:14Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:2011]] -- [[Category:USA]] cae71f43b4dacc48c993d55e4030dbbebf10eab7 0 12 94 47 2021-07-21T17:56:32Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:Dark Metal]] -- [[Category:USA]] -- [[Category:2021]] 59840d4b83e7c6eb49782ed4e3b0d274e7913d9c 0 1 106 105 2021-07-21T18:13:21Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {| class="wikitable" |+ | | | |} {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=3 }} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 185eb24b75026e3ca69b425e31f1f52758b4e354 107 106 2021-07-21T18:15:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. Reverie/Sylvan Realm https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Reverie_2008_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2011_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_2021_interview https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Sylvan_Realm_-_Waldeinsamkeit Voluptas https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_2021 https://adsol.oneyoudontknow.com/index.php/Voluptas_-_Towards_the_Great_White_Nothing {| class="wikitable" |+ | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} f0e0f26697e51dc827d8072af49e20248bdc0f82 108 107 2021-07-21T18:18:06Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} b231d90cc0595858deaee0426ab5428b2947d1de 131 108 2021-07-21T18:36:07Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Date |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 7a8635c141147db664c02ece305ad60c74714ba8 132 131 2021-07-21T18:39:17Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 6822584f505830c4298b93af25dc81e73a04134b 133 132 2021-07-21T18:39:53Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 68e1ab8d798adfcb0e82d6d70fe1a2e7ffdc0ee2 136 133 2021-07-21T18:43:12Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 1885399a7272b6d98c1a6a0193b7d8cfbe616c2d 137 136 2021-07-21T18:45:20Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} e0c771938966e8c279008112f71a7da26b6e753a 138 137 2021-07-21T18:45:57Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 981246816853564ffc6badd36d3dc6149577906b 139 138 2021-07-21T18:46:14Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Genre |?Year |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} a5318f93e3c40bd5216df5f2d5ab979f4f896091 142 139 2021-07-21T19:08:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=25 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |?Band |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=25 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} e50f4583a8a108d0578f439709f25574f56826e3 102 47 109 2021-07-21T18:18:33Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 102 48 110 2021-07-21T18:18:47Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 49 111 2021-07-21T18:18:55Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 50 112 2021-07-21T18:19:03Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 29 113 98 2021-07-21T18:20:37Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Generally speaking, there is often a certain tendency to remain on a vague level when it comes to achieve something or to express a certain idea. A definite level of mystery that tends to surrounds the concept that is expressed in the/an album. Similar can be pointed to in this case here. The title "Towards the Great White Nothing" indicates something, hints on something, projects something. Something that is and that might be reached at some point and through some means. This would be one reading of it. Another points into the realm of alchemy and towards <i>Nihilum album</i> and therefore to Zinc oxide. Does this then explain or help to unravel the mysteries that are contained in the title of the release? Certainly not, but the aforementioned reference is probably some utterly useless information that you, dear reader, have now put to memory -- you are welcome. <i>Nihilum album</i>, remember it. Anyway, Voluptas' debut album contains only five tracks, which span over a mere length of thirty minutes, but maybe this would be enough to disentangle all that had been laid out in the title of the release. The aspect of white can be interpreted in various kind of ways. In regard of the music, there is the facet of white noise as part of the noise genre that comes to mind of course. Whether the end of the closing track "Desert Twilight" is exactly that, can (or should?) be left open to debate. Nevertheless, the way the album closes, the utter distortion of the flow of music, the unmistakable disregard for harmonics and flow of music are all together an argument that can be used to point into this direction. Sadly, the band from Czechia is not able to create such an atmosphere over the course of the five tracks that this last and final part of the music would by itself work as a counterpoint to what had been presented prior to this. It somehow feels like a missed opportunity. A strange hurrah towards a end, a disturbing crescendo to break it all down and drown the listener into a world of white noise. This has not so much to do with the contrast of the end, but how it flows towards it. By breaking down the flow in terms of the atmosphere and by avoiding a comparably more daring approach, Voluptas' debut is in the end not always conclusive or convincing. On a slight side-note, one might wonder whether a band like Forgotten Silence has had an impact here. Furthermore, why only 13:36? Is this play on the length intentionally? ... and what about the rest, then? In its core the music is black metal. This is how the album opens and this is also the style the band feels comfortable with. Raw in essence, cold at heart and unmistakable in expression. What made their debut release slightly different had been cast aside and replaced with a focus on core essences of the aforementioned genre. No more saxophone and no more messing around. Fun times are over and the (black) bleakness has taken over and command. Crystalline Key, the opener of the this output, sets the pace and tone. A hollow scream at the very beginning along with a initial intense blast and then the listener is pushed along. The style is modern, progressive, but not overtly daring. A nod towards Karst, a nod towards Enslaved, but not towards Primordial. Why? There is never this intensity of emotion, there is never this intensity of expression. Also not towards Aenaon. Voluptas likes to keep things at bay, likes to channel it into a different direction. Their music contains moments of calmness and counterpoints. It is not a "storm" from the beginning to the end and no wall of guitars. The tracks are playful, have a lot of dynamics and well crafted motives. But as most of them are around 4 minutes in length, the complexity and progressiveness is kept at bay, as the Czech simply did not have that much time at their disposal. Interestingly enough the album itself is comparably diverse and by no means limited in terms of expressions. The tracks are generally spot on and appear to play with the expectations of the listener at times. Especially as those breaks and switches in dynamics are of a type that cannot be predicted. Leaving the last track out this discussion for a moment, <b>Of Gnosis and Agony</b> meanders around in a melodic kind of way, while the succeeding <b>Between Terror and Erebus</b> throws barrage after barrage towards the listener. The opener would be mixture of these two. Considering that some time passed between their debut release and this one, it feels that some effort had been put into crafting it. A lot of the facets of the compositions appear balanced out and also the instruments are well performed and arranged. The vocals -- screams, growls -- are a bit muffled at times, but this is not much of nuisance. The question remains what had been achieved once the white nothing has been reached towards the end of the release. The last track is not something akin to what Satyricon had added to two of their releases; Rebel Extravaganza and Volcano. There a certain level of coherence was found, while in this case the stylistic deviation appears uncalled for and on a too large a scale. It would have been better to get rid of the last track altogether and replace it with something else. Considering the quality and flexibility that can be examined throughout the release, Voluptas should have found no difficulty to come up with some additional tracks and ideas. In this state <b>Towards the Great White Nothing</b> is a bit inconclusive. Comparing these two releases of the band that have seen the light so far is difficult, because they differ from each other considerably. In style and sound either of them have a consistent and "unique" set of sound or style. Yet, this latest output appears to be more mature and better crafted. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]] </div> 2fda53493abab1a9bd6aa67374987dfb471060b6 0 31 114 95 2021-07-21T18:21:33Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2020]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> 39594cd562da4efbe728caab567dc4b3b01bd656 126 114 2021-07-21T18:29:35Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} As you can see from the Wikipedia entry[1], of what the title of the release refers to, the topic is not particularly wide spread or even commonly known. It is something that appears to have had some amount of impact in "Germany" or in countries in which German would be used or be common. Woodland solitude would be one way to translate the title and over the years it has found its way into the realms of religion, literature as well as painting. As music has played a negligible role so far [2], only the visual as well as lyrical aspects should be considered. In terms of the former, the cover artwork suggests an eye as part of a tree. Somehow as if a person has merged with this wooden solid being and the only indication that is left would be just this one eye; it can be imagined that a camouflage of some mythological creature would be a reference or interpretation. Compared with paintings of the subject Waldeinsamkeit[3] a stark difference can be discovered. Firstly, there is the extreme emphasis on the eye and secondly an almost neglect of the surrounding environment, which is a result of the other aspect. Of course the message appears to be clear: nature or in this case a forest indicates a level of danger. While this is true to a certain degree, it thwarts the generally established agreement that Waldeinsamkeit is more of a idealised romantic portrayal of what a forest or what woodland can be. The paintings of this genre provide a broad view on a type of scenery in which occasionally one or more human appear, while in the end it attempts to evoke a feeling of an idealistic and "innocent" environment. As such, this harmonic aspect is disturbed by the inescapable emphasis of the eye on the cover artwork. Therefore, it is little convincing, due to the limitation or the emphasis of this one aspect and how it had been placed into the foreground. A more clever approach could have been an assortment of "dangers"/eyes in an otherwise harmonic visual setting. By doing so it would then be a comment on the "established" visual composition of this one topic that the release appears to deal with. But such a chance had sadly been wasted. When it comes to the lyrics and how these fit into the broader picture, we are left with nothing to go by, as these have not been shared so far. All we have is the cover as well as the track titles. This would be the third release that the person behind Sylvan Realm/Reverie has put out over the years. The first one was still spread under the name Reverie in 2007 and then a 2011 and 2020 output under the Sylvan Realm. As should be rather apparent, the music is not thrown unto the masses on a constant basis[4]. Maybe the music needed some time to fully mature or the person did not have much time to get it done. Whatever may be the case, the audience needs to be patient in this regard. And the audience needs to be tolerant. Or rather it needs to be more tolerant than before. As can be gathered from the band's entry at the Metal Archives, a certain switch in style has taken place and it has shifted from the realms of black metal towards less intense and grim shores. The title of the latest release gives it away in some respect. While all of the cover artworks always had a certain type of portrayal of a landscape, Waldeinsamkeit differs due to the attempt to bring visual and audio and textual aspect into an amalgam. The overall outcome reminds on Ulver's Bergtatt or Kveldssanger or Empyrium and maybe even a nod towards like Sun of the Sleepless. By merely pointing to these other bands or albums a sense of music and sound is evoked. This would be true of dynamics and of the atmosphere as well. This is why a comparison with the other black metal album [2] is too far-fetched and not really adequate, since this referenced one does hardly deviate from the core setting of the genre and presents the music with a considerable intensity; with the exception of a Burzum-like ambient track. Anyway, Sylvan Realm's focus on the release is a different one and it attempts to represent what had been established in the first paragraph. Yet matters are not as simple and there is not a consistent strain or red line that can be pointed towards in terms of the music. On the one hand there are two more intense tracks -- Monumental Abandonment & Quietus -- and four rather calm ones. Black metal on the one hand, but acoustic/folk/post metal on the other. This distinction is necessary, because the difference between these two "parts" are not only striking, but differ in quality and execution. It is even possible to give each of these a rating and it would be as follows: * metal parts (see the two aforementioned tracks): 60 points * the rest: 80 points Of course adding a score tag to an album is generally a matter of personal preferences, but there are arguments that can be brought fourth in order to back this up. On the one hand there are the vocals in these two tracks, whose execution is somewhat hollow and fails to impress. Being neither black metal/*core-influenced screams nor growling, it is a weird mixture of croaking and speaking. Somehow as if you have a sore throat and are barely able to deliver the texts that you want to get across. On neither of the preceding albums such a style could be discovered. Back then it was first some kind of croaking and then a mixture of croaking and black metal screams. There was intensity and a certain kind of ferociousness to it, while this latest performance does not provide this. Maybe this is due to the general shift in the direction of the music. Whatever the reasons, in terms of sound and style it fails to impress. The music itself is fine, but the style, the timing, the sound and the dynamics of the vocals in these two tracks are just off-putting. They even make you cringe; personal perspective. Aside from this aspect, these two metal tracks are actually not that bad; the lead guitar is a bit weird at times. A dominant bass-guitar, playful guitar elements and a drums in the background. There is something of old-school black metal in this, but this aspect is marginalized by the prevalence of something like depressive rock. What comes to mind is Wolves in the Throne Room's Celestial Lineage but less metal and more rockish and with a sound that reminds on early Forgotten Woods or Joyless. Muted might be a way to describe this. Not only in terms of the dynamics, but also in terms of the musical aspects. There is nothing ferocious here. There is nothing of the grimness here. What the title of the release indicates, can be found in all of the tracks. Matters appear more coherent in terms of the rest of the album. It is nice how the calmness works as a counterpoint to the aforementioned tracks and how these four tracks are able to reflect in sound what the cover represents in style. The music switches between calm and acoustic pieces to dark/depressive rock/metal music, while a clean/normal voice sets the overall tone. Akin to the wintry desolation, it is also here that the melodies progress calmly and with little necessity to speed things up. There is playfulness, there is a lot of atmosphere and a nice bass line. It is dreamy, it is distant and it reflects some of what the cover indicates. The performance is best, once all dynamics breaks down and the bass-guitar is allowed to fill the room; "A Dirge For The Lost". While the preceding album had an acoustic track as well -- Twilight Kingdom --, somehow this aspect has taken over most of the album and shifted all into this direction. There is early Ulver and there is later Empyrium. "A matter of perspective", this is the title of the review. In terms of black metal this album does not deliver enough any more, while in terms of the depressive/dark rock/metal/folk this album still has too much of the rest. Maybe this album had been too long in the making and is therefore an assortment of ideas that were crafted over the years and were therefore not scraped or separated on different albums. Think of October Falls for instance. They have music that differs to a large extend, but they make it clear on what to expect by using a different type of logo. Maybe this would have been a better idea in this regard as well. Or it would be a good idea to place one type of the tracks on side of an vinyl album and other ones on the second. Together they are a somewhat odd mixture of ideas that fail to impress in combination. The calm parts are definitely great and are able to create a wonderful atmosphere. Maybe this is the path this band should move towards? It is an ambivalent release, then. Yet the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. This differs according to ones perspective though. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldeinsamkeit [2] See Kalmankantaja's release Waldeinsamkeit as a sole(?) "metal" exception. Musically though, the emphasis is on black metal with (dark) ambient passages/tracks. Both releases can hardly be compared. [3]German: sujet [4]By discussing some aspects of this release with the band, it was revealed that Waldeinsamkeit has a rather complex history. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2020]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2020]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> 8e87f1705635a930344b614425c7aafc3f5d08dc 0 51 115 2021-07-21T18:22:09Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 52 116 2021-07-21T18:22:15Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 34 117 67 2021-07-21T18:26:12Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It does not take an intro, it does not take some sort of interlude to progress from the one and only release of Reverie to the Sylvan Realm project. The first seconds of the first track direct the attention of the listener on the pathway the person behind it decided to move on. No time to breathe, no time for a short moment for collecting one’s thoughts; a beat and of it goes … everything earlier is simply swept away. Indeed, the music seems to have undergone a certain evolution since the days of Reverie. Black Metal? In certain boundaries this has some truths in it, but once the album is examined from a broader perspective, then the reduction to this one genre alone seems unnecessarily as well as artificially limited. The opener reveals this progression neatly, because in it most of the elements are presented succinctly. Melodic, powerful, well arranged and some well-crafted riffs make up the performance of Sylvan Realm. Death metal makes an appearance as well, along small influences from other genres; like heavy metal or even thrash. Riff structures, as they are often used in the black metal genre, appear on a rather small scale and limitation in facets is avoided at all costs. Instead, the music is rich in facets and various influences. Multiple layers woven together instead of a simplistic approach – Disappear into the Landscape –, a neat transition between the compositions – Temple of Not – and even choir parts – The Lodge of Transcendence – are now part of the oeuvre of Sylvan Realm. The breadth of the conceptual approach is by no means covered by all of these examples, but they give an indication on what to expect on this recording. The title track should be emphasized in this respect. Rhythm models that break all barriers of conventionality and a level of variation in terms of the arrangements make it exceptional on this debut album. It is especially due to ideas like the closing motive and the progressive influences presented in it that might leave the listener astounded about the richness in facets of this output. Nevertheless, it would be fair point to describe the way some aspects appear a slightly bit random and as not being fully immersed in the rest of the art; this would be especially true in terms of Twilight Kingdom. Many aspects presented on ‘The Lodge of Transcendence‘ merge very naturally though. Be it the various types of vocals, would it be the breaks and interludes in the compositions, nothing really gives the impression of being alien to the concept in any serious way. <u><b>Twilight Kingdom:</b></u> The closing composition of this album is a track that differs significantly from everything that makes up the dominant part of this album. No more metal guitars, drums and aggressive vocals. Instead, a play of acoustic guitars together with a calm voice try to compensate the listener for the heaviness this person had to endure from the very first second up to this very composition. It is a counterpoint and a strong one at that. Nearly nine minutes in length it provides a wonderful example of how a small set of instruments can be used to create a very dense and intense listening experience. Empyrium comes to the mind, though not their early works but their later ones. A difference might appear in the tone and direction of the music. While the Germans had a slightly depressing touch in their art, the Americans are a bit more uplifting. Similar are both attempts the role of the vocals, whose part appears in a narrating manner, but not excessively in terms of the share that they would take in the music; the instruments have a lot of room to unfold their atmosphere. What can be criticized though is the way this style appears on the record. Unlike on the Reverie recording, the acoustic part gives rather an impression of being an appendix, rather than an essential aspect of the music, which ‘moves’ like a red line through the album. <u><b>The hidden track:</b></u> As outlined in the interview (see link at the bottom of the review), this thing is suppose to have a special meaning … but I can tell you it did not reveal itself in the first several spins that I listened to this thing … it clearly did not. Maybe it is because English is not my mother tongue that I am not able to understand everything of this distorted voice. Even after a rather intense listening attempt, I failed to get it … so; you have to look for another reviewer to take up on this issue and to reveal the mystery, which surrounds this hidden track. Well, SR are not the only band that wants to have the final laugh, because further examples are: Karjalan Sissit’s Tanssit On Loppu Nyt or Nattefrost’s Blood and Vomit. What about references to other bands? Sylvan Realm have a lot of influences in the music. One has been mentioned already, but they do not stop there. It would be not too farfetched to throw something of ‘Wolves in the Throne Room’ in here as well – in terms of their atmosphere as well as how they vary their music, while ‘Agalloch’ would point into the wrong direction and October Falls for similar but not the same reasons. Other bands could be named, but some pointless name dropping would result only in confusion. Facets appear now and then, here and there, but a definite comparison seems not to be found easily. If you add these names mentioned before together and throw in some ‘The Mist and the Morning Dew’, then you get a glimpse of what can be found on this release. <b><u>To sum the impressions up:</u></b> Who would have thought of this evolution of the band? Sylvan, the person behind this band, seems to have been quite anxious to bombard the listener with this new release of his and therefore set the pace right from the first second of the debut. From then on, the listener is bombarded with ideas and concepts like there would be no tomorrow and in a way rather uncommon in the extreme metal realm. The reference to Empyrium does by no means cover the array and breadth of performance of Sylvan Realm’s debut album. In fact, the Germans always used a rather limited but really well crafted approach, while the Americans would be unable to follow such a narrowed down concept. This similarity in atmosphere as well as attitude awakes the resemblance in the mind of the listener. The Lodge of Transcendence is an excellent release in many respects and sets the barrier extremely high for the things to come. The easiness, with which the band transgresses all barriers of conventionality and combines them on their debut into an eclectic showbag that contains something for a lot of people, is fascinating indeed. Extreme metal on a high level, loaded with sweet riffs and ideas, as well as an attitude to try something fresh. Nothing but highly recommended. Based on a review written by oneyoudontknow for ‘a dead spot of light magazine (Number 13): https://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number13 {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2011]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> 306bf5eb024b28c0b93a53807a8c8080788ea7c0 125 117 2021-07-21T18:29:26Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It does not take an intro, it does not take some sort of interlude to progress from the one and only release of Reverie to the Sylvan Realm project. The first seconds of the first track direct the attention of the listener on the pathway the person behind it decided to move on. No time to breathe, no time for a short moment for collecting one’s thoughts; a beat and of it goes … everything earlier is simply swept away. Indeed, the music seems to have undergone a certain evolution since the days of Reverie. Black Metal? In certain boundaries this has some truths in it, but once the album is examined from a broader perspective, then the reduction to this one genre alone seems unnecessarily as well as artificially limited. The opener reveals this progression neatly, because in it most of the elements are presented succinctly. Melodic, powerful, well arranged and some well-crafted riffs make up the performance of Sylvan Realm. Death metal makes an appearance as well, along small influences from other genres; like heavy metal or even thrash. Riff structures, as they are often used in the black metal genre, appear on a rather small scale and limitation in facets is avoided at all costs. Instead, the music is rich in facets and various influences. Multiple layers woven together instead of a simplistic approach – Disappear into the Landscape –, a neat transition between the compositions – Temple of Not – and even choir parts – The Lodge of Transcendence – are now part of the oeuvre of Sylvan Realm. The breadth of the conceptual approach is by no means covered by all of these examples, but they give an indication on what to expect on this recording. The title track should be emphasized in this respect. Rhythm models that break all barriers of conventionality and a level of variation in terms of the arrangements make it exceptional on this debut album. It is especially due to ideas like the closing motive and the progressive influences presented in it that might leave the listener astounded about the richness in facets of this output. Nevertheless, it would be fair point to describe the way some aspects appear a slightly bit random and as not being fully immersed in the rest of the art; this would be especially true in terms of Twilight Kingdom. Many aspects presented on ‘The Lodge of Transcendence‘ merge very naturally though. Be it the various types of vocals, would it be the breaks and interludes in the compositions, nothing really gives the impression of being alien to the concept in any serious way. <u><b>Twilight Kingdom:</b></u> The closing composition of this album is a track that differs significantly from everything that makes up the dominant part of this album. No more metal guitars, drums and aggressive vocals. Instead, a play of acoustic guitars together with a calm voice try to compensate the listener for the heaviness this person had to endure from the very first second up to this very composition. It is a counterpoint and a strong one at that. Nearly nine minutes in length it provides a wonderful example of how a small set of instruments can be used to create a very dense and intense listening experience. Empyrium comes to the mind, though not their early works but their later ones. A difference might appear in the tone and direction of the music. While the Germans had a slightly depressing touch in their art, the Americans are a bit more uplifting. Similar are both attempts the role of the vocals, whose part appears in a narrating manner, but not excessively in terms of the share that they would take in the music; the instruments have a lot of room to unfold their atmosphere. What can be criticized though is the way this style appears on the record. Unlike on the Reverie recording, the acoustic part gives rather an impression of being an appendix, rather than an essential aspect of the music, which ‘moves’ like a red line through the album. <u><b>The hidden track:</b></u> As outlined in the interview (see link at the bottom of the review), this thing is suppose to have a special meaning … but I can tell you it did not reveal itself in the first several spins that I listened to this thing … it clearly did not. Maybe it is because English is not my mother tongue that I am not able to understand everything of this distorted voice. Even after a rather intense listening attempt, I failed to get it … so; you have to look for another reviewer to take up on this issue and to reveal the mystery, which surrounds this hidden track. Well, SR are not the only band that wants to have the final laugh, because further examples are: Karjalan Sissit’s Tanssit On Loppu Nyt or Nattefrost’s Blood and Vomit. What about references to other bands? Sylvan Realm have a lot of influences in the music. One has been mentioned already, but they do not stop there. It would be not too farfetched to throw something of ‘Wolves in the Throne Room’ in here as well – in terms of their atmosphere as well as how they vary their music, while ‘Agalloch’ would point into the wrong direction and October Falls for similar but not the same reasons. Other bands could be named, but some pointless name dropping would result only in confusion. Facets appear now and then, here and there, but a definite comparison seems not to be found easily. If you add these names mentioned before together and throw in some ‘The Mist and the Morning Dew’, then you get a glimpse of what can be found on this release. <b><u>To sum the impressions up:</u></b> Who would have thought of this evolution of the band? Sylvan, the person behind this band, seems to have been quite anxious to bombard the listener with this new release of his and therefore set the pace right from the first second of the debut. From then on, the listener is bombarded with ideas and concepts like there would be no tomorrow and in a way rather uncommon in the extreme metal realm. The reference to Empyrium does by no means cover the array and breadth of performance of Sylvan Realm’s debut album. In fact, the Germans always used a rather limited but really well crafted approach, while the Americans would be unable to follow such a narrowed down concept. This similarity in atmosphere as well as attitude awakes the resemblance in the mind of the listener. The Lodge of Transcendence is an excellent release in many respects and sets the barrier extremely high for the things to come. The easiness, with which the band transgresses all barriers of conventionality and combines them on their debut into an eclectic showbag that contains something for a lot of people, is fascinating indeed. Extreme metal on a high level, loaded with sweet riffs and ideas, as well as an attitude to try something fresh. Nothing but highly recommended. Based on a review written by oneyoudontknow for ‘a dead spot of light magazine (Number 13): https://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number13 {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2011]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2011]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> 7d68193efddefd337aa0e5f2abacb971173be3cd 0 12 118 94 2021-07-21T18:27:25Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''It has been a while since our latest interview. How did you fare these last years? You moved for instance, did you not?''' Yes indeed it’s been about 9 years since the previous album and our last interview. Much has happened over the years. I went to graduate school and became a mental health therapist and moved from Maryland to New Mexico, and then from New Mexico to Arizona where I currently live. So a career change and move out to the desert! '''Does the new environment have a different influence on your music?''' I initially thought a new environment would have an impact on Sylvan Realm’s music. However, I realized location does not have much of an impact on writing music for me. Music is more of a personal expression and catharsis for me. '''Could you lay out the development of the music starting with Reverie and now of Sylvan Realm?''' Reverie started as my first music project that was raw blackened death metal that was released in 2007. The first Sylvan Realm was a progressive black metal/dark metal album that I released in 2011. I wrote most of Waldeinsamkeit in 2011 and 2012 however due to many different circumstances the album was shelved on hold for many years. Waldeinsamkeit is more of a post black metal/dark metal album with neo folk and atmospheric rock all blended together. '''What have been the core essences of your music and what are they now?''' An undying passion for creativity and expression through music, especially extreme metal, and catharsis. Life imitates art, so this is my purest expression and offering to the world. '''Do you listen to your old stuff? What would you change if you had to redo the music again?''' I do go back and have a listen to the older stuff. I never seem to be entirely happy with the production- mixing and mastering of my past work. If there was interest to rerelease the old material, I'd want to change the mixing and mastering due to the production just not entirely capturing what I was going for on those albums. '''Considering the time span between the albums, what aspect has the most impact on getting things done? How has this changed over the years?''' The songs start to feel like they are dying to come out and have their own life and don't want to be stuck in my mind and fingers anymore haha. Life just takes its course and sometimes I'm too busy with work or in the past school. Being a mental health therapist takes a lot of my time and energy and I have spent a great deal of time being a student and intern in the past. Having time to focus on being creative and getting to focus on music has the biggest impact for being able to get things done music wise. '''What made you pick a German title for your latest release? Where did you get it from?''' I remember reading lists of words that there was no direct English word or English translation for. I remember being struck by the word Waldeinsamkeit and it conjured up all the inspiring times I've had in solitude in nature over the years. This word just seemed to take me into those memories and felt fitting for the album title. '''Were you familiar with Waldeinsamkeit as a topic or concept in certain parts of the art? What release with the same title by the band Kalmankantaja?''' No, I was not previously familiar with the waldeinsamkeit as a concept. I'm also not familiar with the band you mentioned. '''In terms of the music there has been a shift in style with this latest output. How came that to be? Why these stark differences on one album?''' I listen to and write different styles of music and have always wanted to do more of a neo folk acoustic oriented album. Initially Waldeinsamkeit was going to be entirely acoustic. However something did not feel right about that approach at the time and the album seemed to want to have some dark atmospheric rock and metal to it. I did a longer version of the album but it had too many parts that did not fit the mood or the flow of the album. So I decided on blending a bit of dark metal, post black metal, neo folk, and dark rock to get the outcome I desired and chopped out any part that I felt interrupted the flow of the mood in the album. I'll never make the same album twice and I'm not interested in having albums sound similar to each other. An album is a snapshot of a time and space and what was inspiring as well as what I was trying to express at that moment. '''How does Waldeinsamkeit reflect on the music on this recording?''' It's what helps give moments of reflection and clarity and is a space that feels completely pure away from the confusion and rat race of the modern world. Waldeinsamkeit helps me to put everything into perspective. '''A striking aspect is the cover artwork. How does it and the music go hand in hand?''' The cover is a sense of blending with the solitude of nature and embodying or having a sort of oneness with nature or blending with nature in a sense of solitude. '''What about the cover artwork? I had written about this in the review and how it does not correspond with the way it had found its way into the arts. Have you been familiar with the Wikipedia entry of Waldeinsamkeit prior to picking it as a title for your album?''' The cover felt fitting and captured the mood of nature solitude for me. Again this choice was a matter of personal expression. '''What made you use the track Twilight Kingdom again?''' Something about the starkness of Twilight Kingdom lingered with me over the years. I kept imagining that song with a full band approach and how this could add to the feeling and mood of that song. Twilight Kingdom just kept coming back in my mind like it was supposed to have a comeback and new approach for this album. '''What bands could you point to as references when it comes to this release?''' Forgotten woods, Agalloch, Fen, Anathema, Discouraged ones by Katatonia, Omnio by In the Woods..., Empyrium, Karg, Daylight Dies, and À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...by Gris. '''You are not signed to a label? Is this something you avoid or have you not found a proper one to distribute your music?''' Yes, and yes. I like having complete artistic freedom and have not found the right working agreement with a label yet. I'm not opposed to working with a label. '''On your latest release you have had some support from other musicians. Were these involved in the process of song-writing as well?''' With creating the songs, I start by writing everything on guitar and then send the guitar songs to the drummer. I like to let the drummer and bassist have their own musical expression and to write their own parts. Yet I also have a specific mood and aesthetic in mind so I do ask them to change some parts around or to try different approaches if the mood does not match what I had in mind for that song. But I do start off by writing everything alone on guitar. '''Since you do not have shared your lyrics so far, it is only possible speculate about the conceptual background of your music.''' That was intentional. I wanted the listener to give their own meaning to the songs or relate to it in their own way. '''Judging from the titles of your tracks of your releases, they indicate a certain level of dealing with death and spirituality. Could you elaborate on this? How does this aspect and black metal go along with each other? Especially as this genre tend to have a level of distaste for religious practise.''' Myself and my music have nothing to do with religion. There are some themes of spirituality, but nothing to do with organized religion. Death is a theme being the ultimate mystery and transformation and being the contrast to everything that is life. I believe death in itself is a spiritual force that is deeply inspiring and humbling. '''Plans for next recordings? Where do you plan to go next in terms of the music. Will it be in the direction of black metal or rather towards the dark rock/folk genre? Or might you do both like October Falls has done it over the years?''' The next album will be much more heavy with more black and death metal influences. I'm thinking of working with a new vocalist so that I can focus on my passion for guitar playing. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' In a way it was a relief, the world and life just felt unbalanced and that we were overdue for something of this nature to happen. I don't think this world was supposed to sustain the amount of people here and civilization felt like it was just going up and up and up without anything falling or coming down. Personally it's been a time of reflection and personal retreat. Sure it's been isolating, strange, and has created a lot of angst, even feeling like I'm living in some dystopian novel. By no means am I happy about covid, it just feels like this is nature taking its course. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' All of the above, but music being my personal preference. I feel that life imitates art and that art is the most real expression of life. The arts give me meaning and at times feel like a spiritual experience or meaning for existence. '''Closing comments''' Thanks for the interview and review, I appreciate your time and interest. The next album is being written now and will be different, more heavy with more black and death metal in it and faster songs. There will be some clean guitar parts that are a signature of my albums. Waldeinsamkeit along with my other albums will not repeat themselves due to my strive to continue to learn, grow, and evolve as a musician. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Dark Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> 297f9cb275591baae906c18c0ba4f7fb3c6e739b 0 16 119 93 2021-07-21T18:27:35Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:2011]] -- [[Category:USA]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> 2e0e41b1ecb4f9a3678fb54cb5c01571bc3be1bc 121 119 2021-07-21T18:28:26Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Hello again ... this is the second interview with you. How are you? Quite a lot of things have changed since we talked the last time about your band.''' I am doing very well for I just got back from a trip to one of the most desolate, isolated, and forgotten areas of the west Texas desert. I got some much needed escape from the city, as well gathered many ideas for the next Sylvan Realm album that I have already started to write...Yes indeed a lot has changed since the last interview '''Not many will know Sylvan Realm, so why don’t you lay out the history of the band? Where did it start and how do you reach the point where you are today?''' Sylvan Realm formed from the ashes of my previous band Reverie. I had a different musical vision and approach with Reverie more of a raw depressive black/death metal sound I was going for back then. I had been writing riffs for the Isolation album since I was 18 years old and had lived in a lot of different places while I wrote the songs and lyrics for that album. Reverie was my 1st proper band and the isolation album was the 1st time I had entered a professional recording studio to record an album. Before that it was messing around with tape recorders in basements as a young teenager and playing Vlad Tepes style raw black metal with a ugly production. Reverie was a collection of my work from age 18 to 23. Since I am a drifter and move around a lot I never had another musician to write or rehearse with so I ended up getting in contact with Nightsky studio since the owner and engineer Ron Vento was experienced with black and death metal, he helped me find a session drummer for the Isolation album. After the Isolation album was made I was living alone out in the rocky mountains of Montana were solitude and isolation surrounded me. I was living deep in my own headspace obsessed with philosophy, spirituality, and of course music. After a lot of time analyzing my prior work in Reverie I decided I needed a name that wasn't so ambiguous not to mention there are a ton of other bands named Reverie doing all different types of music. I wanted something a bit more original, unique, and personal. During the time of changing the bands name I felt what would help the music would be to bring in some other band members and let them add their own musical elements. I was originally going to have Algol form the band Forgotten Tomb do the drums however he ended up having surgery on his knees and couldn't do the drums. I contacted Evan Madden a few weeks later and he responded right away with interest in preforming the drums on the album. As for Bass I did the bass more or less on the spot on my 1st album in the studio with no rehearsal. This time around I wanted the bass lines to really stand out from the guitars and add another dimension to the music. So Ron from Nightsky studio helped me out once again by finding me a truly great bassist, Jason Eckert. '''How does the band name fit into this and why did you change your pseudonym from Unknown to Sylvan?''' Sylvan Realm fits the music on a few different levels that I will explain... Nature and the realm of the forrest deeply inspires the music I write. I would often times go out deep into the wilderness and mountains for inspiration and ideas for my music. I started linking this "realm" I would enter in the wilderness with the head space I was living in and got to the point were I could drift out into the mountains through my thoughts. So I decided what better to represent the music I wrote then the very world I would delve into to gather the ideas and inspiration that transferred into the music itself. As far as changing from unknown to sylvan... that can be explained by once wanting a pseudonym and later deciding not to use one anymore... this is a bit of a trick answer... lets see who can unravel it! '''Interestingly, both the logo for Reverie as well as for Sylvan Realm shows a similarity:''' '''Ouroboros. What does it mean to you that it appears in both of them?''' The ouroboros is a symbol that has always been very personal to me, It represents the cycles of the universe and cycles of life that inspire my music. The beauty behind the symbol is that it can be used in different ways and has several different meanings, every angle I look at the ouroboros I see the genius behind the design unraveling and then repeating. '''You also moved, didn’t you? Has the music for your latest output been written before you took this step? Does this new surrounding have a different atmosphere then the place you left? Might this have an impact on your music as well?''' This is a rather interesting question to me, Yes in fact I did move (again). I had written everything for the lodge of transcendence during my time in Montana. The vast majesty of the rocky mountains and the isolation out there is were the songs on this album came from. As well all the artwork are photos I took out in Montana. I relocated back to Maryland (were I am originally from) I have always used Maryland as a base to return to before I make my next move in life. Also the studio I record at is here in Maryland. The atmosphere in Maryland is the polar opposite of that in Montana. Its much more difficult for me to gain peace of mind here or go out into nature. However I can travel to the places that bring me inspiration and solitude through my mind, for I believe that the places I have traveled to become part of me for I have formed a bond with those magical places that I have found in nature. so in the end this move wont have a impact on the sound or style of sylvan realm for I can always revisit the places that bring me inspiration. '''Have the basic aspects of your music remained the same? On your Reverie MySpace site you once wrote the following words: isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics. Would these also be true in terms of your new band or have you shifted into other areas?''' The elements you listed are still sources of inspiration for sylvan realm, The lodge of transcendence focuses a lot on unlocking cosmic gateways found in nature and finding enlightenment through the blinding light and endless darkness that make up the cosmos. You have to go beyond dualism and see darkness and light as positive and negative energy that make a whole in order to fully understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The style of the band has changed quite significantly since the Reverie release. The acoustic passages are ‘nearly gone’ – more on this later – for instance and also the music sounds denser as well as focussed. '''Why did you switch to this new style? Why did you leave these old paths behind?''' First off this wasn't a switch, but rather an evolution. I was still searching for my sound and style while I recorded the Reverie Isolation album and was still learning a lot about writing/recording music. After the 4 years that followed the release of the isolation album I found all the keys I needed in order to fully unlock the sound and style that I wanted to create. I would say the Reverie album was a major steeping stone to get to what I created with Sylvan Realm. A major difference is I wanted a massive larger then life wall of guitar sound on this album so I wrote all the riffs as layers... sometimes there are 3 completely different guitar riffs going at once. I had also spent countless days and hours playing guitar during the years that followed the Isolation album and got to know my instruments much better during this time. I dedicated the majority of my life to making this album, I was totally obsessed living in the "lodge of transcendence world" for 4 years I suppose this is why the music sounded so focused not to mention I spent more then a year in the studio making sure everything came out exactly how I had envisioned it to sound. As for the acoustic parts... there are still a good amount of acoustic guitar on this album, they are just immeshed into the music more so then on the 1st album. The acoustic guitars are more layered this time around instead of one lone guitar playing by itself such as I did on the isolation album. '''Do you still listen to nowadays’ music or do you try to stick with something that has ‘lain’ a bit?''' I listen to a ton of music from the 70's all the way up until more recent bands today. There are a lot less good bands coming out now days due to so much over saturation. However every year I find at least 12 or so new releases from that year that I love. I always seem to find good new bands it just takes a lot more digging through a ton of shit copy cat bedroom bands. The main problem in everyone wants a band and most people want to sound exactly like their favorite band and have no message or anything original to offer. And now with all the home recording technology you can slop together a cheep studio and rip off your favorite band and before you know it you have an album thats selling for the same price as your favorite professional bands album who did go to a real studio, spent years or decades mastering their instruments, took the time to create their own unique style, and isn't out to copy their favorite band. Sure there is a flip side to this, there are some "home studio" bands that are great and original, you don't have to record at a professional studio to make a good album. Its just that theres a major drop in quality lately due to all of this, and so many new bands don't have anything unique or original to offer. '''In our previous interview you wrote: The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. Do you plan your music or does this evolution come naturally? Where do you see the band progress towards? Do you have some sort of idea of a concept of music which you would like to create?''' I try to mix every style of music I listen to into Sylvan Realm and in the end make a unique approach to dark metal out of it. I suppose one could call my band "progressive black metal" or "dark metal with black metal and doom metal influences" theres a lot of different ways to label Sylvan realm due to the traces of, dark metal, death, thrash, doom, classic heavy metal, Progressive metal, folk, the list goes on. However the term that I think fits best is "eclectic dark metal". So yes this time around I did decide to give my music a label... but at the end of the day id like the listener to give it their own label. So far most people have just been calling it black metal. The evolution of my music does come naturally, however I do have a lot of ideas for what to do in the future but if I share them now there will be no surprise in later years. There are many different musical avenues Id like to explore however for now all I can say is that the next Sylvan Realm album will be similar to the lodge of transcendence but with more acoustic guitar and more fingerpicking. I have always loved doom metal but Lately I have been more so into doom metal then ever so that will also come out more in the next album. '''How would you sum up your current style? What are its core essences?''' As I mentioned above I would consider Sylvan Realm to be "eclectic dark metal" Sylvan Realm is deeply rooted in black, and doom metal, with traces of progressive rock, heavy metal, melodic death metal, thrash, and the list continues to go on. One thing I will say for people who have not yet heard Sylvan Realm's music is that there is very balanced blended flow to the music were you really have to know your styles to be able to hear all the influences. A lot of the time people mainly hear the black metal influence and just label it as that. However this is not just another black metal band, I will go as far as saying anyone who likes doom metal, classic heavy metal, trash, black metal, melodic death metal and even 70's hard rock will find something in Sylvan Realm that they can get into. Even though The Lodge of Transcendence opens with a rather powerful opener, the music later transcends into something more complex and you like to take the tempo as well as the metal parts out again and again. Should music have a certain amount of complexity? Do you need this in order to express yourself or do you think you stick to something minimalist also? I have had several people mention complexity when it comes to my song writing, however it was never the intention to purposely make the music complex. I like to write very untraditional songs with no filler so every song has an entire albums worth of ideas. As well I wanted each song to be more like a composition with different movements rather then just a long song with one tempo and one key. I would never write a song for the sake of complexity or for the sake of minimalism... thats the pit hole that so many death metal bands fall into and for the later dark ambient projects. I write each song to be a unfolding musical journey that takes the listener from the valley up onto a jagged mountain peak, back down the mountain, over into a canyon, and down into a deep glacier lake ... so to speak. '''The acoustic Twilight Kingdom sounds like a peaceful ending. Something that would give the listener some time to breathe and rest the soul. It is also a stark contrast compared with the opener. Do you want to be at peace with the listener at the end? Maybe not over the whole release but it was especially here that some memories on the German Empyrium were awoken. Did you ever had a chance to listen to something of this band?''' Empyrium is one of my favorite bands so weather the comparison was suppose to be a compliment or not... I take the comparison to be a big compliment! I have every Empyrium album and admire all their work, they are one of the best bands from Germany in my opinion. On the same label as Empyrium is Tenhi from Finland who are also a influence to my acoustic playing. However my biggest influence on the acoustic guitar is my Father for he always played acoustic guitar around me as a young boy and thats how I originally got interested in writing music. Twilight Kingdom wasn't intentionally placed at the end to be peaceful or relaxing, rather at the end of the album was just how the song seemed to fit the best as more of a long outré. Twilight Kingdom was written from two spiritual experiences I had out in the Rocky Mountains. How the song got its name was from a night that I decided to walk out into the mountains a bit later then I should of and found myself on top a mountain peak when the sun was setting. Everything before me was dressed with a brilliant shade of royal Purple and I found the world between the sun and Moon. '''Looking back at the Reverie release, how do you see it from today’s perspective? What would you change?''' I am proud of what I did on the Reverie album, after all it was my 1st album and I wrote everything on it except the drums. All the vocals we not rehearsed, not even once, I did all the vocals sort of like a session vocalists except I had known the lyrics for years, it was my 1st time even trying to do black metal vocals... I didn't even know if I could scream or not before that day in the studio! All the bass was done in the same way no rehearsal just right on the spot in the studio. However the drummer had rehearsed for a few months and I had been playing most of the guitar riffs for years... however a few guitar riffs were also made up during the recording. The isolation album was a learning experience to say the least and I will never make up entire riffs or all the vocals or something crazy like that again on the spot with out rehearsing before hand. Thats what I did different on the sylvan realm album everything was rehearsed over and over again. Anyways you will get to hear what I would do differently soon enough because I am re writing most of the Reverie songs and will be putting them along with new songs on the next Sylvan Realm album. '''Evan Madden and Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert appear on your debut album. Who are they and how did you get in touch with them? Will they continue to play in the band?''' They are both true masters of their instruments and are the best musicians I could find or ever ask for. Evan Madden is a drummer from Pennsylvania and he plays drums for a living. He teaches drums, and plays in Woods of Ypres, Woe, the Green Evening Requiem, and more. I found out that he does session drums through his web site and got in touch with him. I let him write all the drums and only had him change a few parts, I hope he continues to play in Sylvan Realm for every album I do for it was a great experience working with him. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert was introduced to me by Ron Vento from Nightsky Studio and Aurora Borealis. He also fit the style I was going for and was a great person to work with. I also hope to continue to work with Jason in the future for I am very happy with his performance on the album. He also plays in Aurora Borealis and Todesbonden and in the past he was in rain fell within plus a bunch of other projects. '''Reverie merely had a session drummer, but the new one has two members. Were these involved in the process of creating the album as well or what has their contribution been?''' Originally they were going to be session members and thats how they contributed to the album, they both wrote all their own parts to the music. However things could now change since I plan to work with them on the next album that I am writing. We are all very busy with our lives and they have a lot of other bands that they are in so we haven't had much time to get together or talk about their roles in the band for the future. For now I am writing the next album and will have them write the same way they did for the lodge of transcendence and I will just have to see how everything turns out. '''How long did the recording take place? Which studio did you use and what reasons did you have for picking it? Are you satisfied with the result?''' The lodge of transcendence took a very long time to record, from October 2009 until february 2011. I went to the same studio that I recorded the Reverie album at. I Enjoy recording at Nightsky studio with Ron Vento, he is very experienced in black and death metal and understands the music as well or more then anyone else I know. Plus he helped me find a session drummer for my 1st album and got me in contact with the bassist for this album. I am 100% satisfied with how the lodge came out in the end. '''Are there still some ideas left over from the process of crafting this latest album?''' Yes indeed... nearly a half of an album's worth of material I ended up not being able to fit into the lodge, so It will be on the next album that im working on. Nice hidden track ... you could not resist the temptation didn't you? I have wondered how many people will know what the hidden track is from and why I used it... so far a few people have. If you understand the hidden track and know what its from I think you will know why I used it and will enjoy the album even more so. '''The layout has the same colour than the Reverie CD. Why? Do you feel somehow comfortable with this violet scheme? Why did you pick it? Do you try to express something through this?''' Purple is a magic color to me... it is the color I see in my dreams, and in the spiritual world. Compared with your first output a difference can be found. In our first interview you replied to my question in regard to the lyrics in this way: '''This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them.''' '''Have you changed your mind on this subject or why are they available now?''' Reverie was suppose to be more hidden and minimalistic, plus the lyrics were rather personal to me, I wrote them for myself and didn't want to share them. However the lyrics on the lodge are just as personal, something in me changed and decided to share the lyrics. Even if people don't understand them, they can make the lyrics their own and give to them their own meaning and interpretation. I suppose this time around I had a message I wanted to share instead of personal lyrics that I wrote more for myself. Were the pictures done by you again? Digital or analogue? You seem to prefer the former lately do you? Yes I did all the pictures besides the picture of me standing with the mountains in the background. I will always do all the artwork this way for my albums. I would like to do the pictures in analogue however I am much better with digital cameras. Analogue looks better, however all my extra money goes to music so a digital camera is good enough. '''Somewhat interesting is the concept expressed through them. The front and the back cover each show an escape, while the ones inside appear generally barred and with a considerable obstacle. Do you see this as a reflection of your art? Is it easy to comprehend on a first glance, but difficult to actually grasp once the inside of it is reached; the outer picture of the booklet being an invitation to explore this ‘realm’?''' The artwork on the cover is based on emanation and seeing the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light. The cover is the spiritual realm emanating through the lodge, I suppose you could say it is an invite into the Sylvan Realm. The windows and doors I used are suppose to be gateways into the lodge. However I wanted to depict the lodge as being hidden and mysterious... a lost and abandoned place. '''If you add to this the name of your album to this train of thought than a somehow perplexing issue arises:''' '''While it is the lodge of transcendence, it is based in the immanence, but seems offers no easy escape to a visitor. To free oneself from this place might seem to take some effort. Moreover, the place looks worn down and may even break once the winds become too strong, so it does not look like a house worth to reside in. Do you think that metaphysics still have a place today? I vaguely remember having read somewhere that they are perceived as being dead.''' I would say that your interpretation of the artwork is very different form the meaning i assigned to the artwork and how I see it. The lodge is a lost abandoned gateway into the spiritual world that was left behind from the modern world... however I don't give any explanation to the artwork in the album so I am sure everyone will interpret it in their own way. The lodge is not something to escape, rather something to seek out and behold its majesty. I do believe metaphysics still have a place in the world today. Metaphysics is rather broad and refers to an entire school of philosophy, I am more so interested in the spiritual side of metaphysics personally. I know that many still use metaphysics in their thoughts and beliefs. '''Did you start your own label? It says Reverie Recordings on the CD. Have you been unable to find a proper one or do you prefer the liberty of distributing the stuff on your own?''' I did start Reverie Recordings as a home and means of distributing my music for Sylvan Realm. Originally I was going to work with ATMF records but in the end I decided to do everything myself and own all the rights to my music. In this day and age with the computer and all the music networking sites there isn't a lot a small label can do for a band that the band can't already do for itself. I would work with a record label and plan on contacting a selected handful of them to release my next album. However I will hold out until I find the ideal record deal, so I am not in a rush to sign with anyone and could very well end up releasing the next few albums under Reverie Recordings. '''In case someone wants to get in touch with you, how can interested folks do this? Where can people buy your music? Is the Reverie CD still available?''' In the future I will make a website for Reverie Recordings, however for now theres a few different ways to reach me. I do have a Facebook page for Sylvan Realm, as well as a Myspace page www.myspace.com/thetruereverie those are the best ways to contact me, as well on both pages is my personal e mail address. People can buy my music directly from me, I also have my albums up on e bay for fairly cheep prices. In the future I will also have digital downloads and will have Sylvan Realm available at Amazon.com. The other route I take is I trade with underground labels so there are a ton of underground distributors, labels, and web shops that have my albums for sale. I do have about 300 Reverie - Isolation cd's left that I am selling and trading. '''Some final comments if you like?''' Every answer every truth lays in one glimmering moment, one fragment of time. One subtle glimpse of a faint flicker from a distant eternal fire burning deep within the darkness. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]] -- [[Category:Sylvan Realm]] -- [[Category:Black Metal]] -- [[Category:2011]] -- [[Category:USA]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2011]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Dark Folk]][[Genre::Acoustic]] </div> f97bd384b816eadb6dce293a0feadc35ced8ac9b 0 17 120 92 2021-07-21T18:28:02Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Reverie]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2008]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]] </div> 885276034845f066954667d193eaf80254bf4e34 122 120 2021-07-21T18:28:37Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings unknown, please introduce your band to the readers. Where do you reside? What has been your motivation to start Reverie? When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' The music of Reverie was designed purposely not to be placed into a specific category... rather to be a myriad of dark intense music. I did not want to limit the spectrum of musical styles that I play and limit myself to one style of personal expression. It was a goal of mine to mix pieces of various styles of music while keeping the music always dark. Reverie was started in 2003 I grew tired of the black and death metal scene and the same old recipes of music inspired by the same sources, and felt it was time to break away from the scene and craft my own sound. I did not want to sound like any other band or have a typical sound even in the recording for any specific style. I could not find the rite people who where dedicated and shared the same musical, metaphysical vision I have, so I decided I would create my music alone. I have no connections to any scene what so ever and have drifted in and out of different states in USA. Currently I reside deep within the rocky mountains of Montana. '''Is there a special meaning behind your band name; an idea, a concept? How is this reflected throughout your art?''' Reverie is a state of being lost in a dream/day dream/memory/thought. To drift away from consciousness into the realm of dreams has always been a state of creation for me and this dream world is where I travel to write music. The Name fit into the artwork, and also fit as a title of the music naturally to me. To lose oneself in a mysterious dream like state and to let go of consciousness is what I have seeked out in music, and the word reverie seemed to fit this mold. '''Left aside of the name, what other influences would you consider as important when it comes to create your art? In terms of music, literatur and other forms of art would you refer to as inspiring?''' Isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated land-scapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics, dreams, enlightenment of the minds eye, astral traveling, the death of mankind as we know it. Naturalism, hidden truths, near death experiences, cosmic gateways to other dimensions, detachment and abandonment of humanity. Reaching to higher planes of spiritual awareness. Musically reverie has roots in and is influenced by a wide range of. black metal, doom metal, dark metal, death metal, neo folk, avant grade rock and metal, post rock, funeral doom, drone doom, dark ambient, heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive rock and metal, shred guitar, Celtic acoustic, blues, classical acoustic, dark jazz etc. I don’t find a lot of art (painting, drawing), books, or film to be inspiring to me personally. Mostly it would be landscapes and places I have been to, feelings and emotions I have had, distant ghost like memories, Things you can quite touch feel or perceive that have a strong over arching presence, the intangible. The only art that I would consider influential would be music, and David Lynch films. '''Beyond this man made aspects, what about nature and spirituality. You use terms like «isolation, the vast cosmos, isolated landscapes, abandonment, misanthropy, metaphysics» on your MySpace site. How could someone find these in your music?''' This is everything the lyrics and artwork are about, however I don’t print the lyrics... so as in life these aspects remain hidden. Few will find them, or understand them. '''Could you lay out to the readers the process of how you create your art and perhaps also how your influences come into play? Should someone try to push for progress or wait for an inspiration and the right mood?''' I go into a dream like state to create the songs on guitar, yet writing all the guitar parts and to make everything fit and sound rite is a lot of practicing and work. Once everything is written on guitar I practice and work hard on timing and precision. The lyrics are a completely separate process and are written as rituals. The artwork happens to be photo's I take in those dream like inspiring landscapes and places I find that I feel fits the music and captures the feel and mood of the songs. And I melt everything together and fit all the pieces of the puzzle into place to form the final work. I always wait for inspiration and the right mood, it is also important to have a message or something that is portrayed by the music. To just push for progress and make music for the sake of making music renders dull pointless art that stands for nothing. '''When you sent me your CD, I found an analogue photography added. As I do these particular kind photos myself, I am curious to know if this 'old fashioned' way of making them means something special to you. Or should we all switch to digital and abandon the old techniques?''' I do respect the old ways and do see how film is more so an art form compared to digital. However I have switched recently to digital haha. I simply can’t afford film anymore, so I see the benefits and pitfalls of both. '''To stretch the topic a little bit further, what about tape and vinyl vs. CD, DVD etc.? Is there something you prefer? Please explain us your reasons.''' This is an interesting question. I prefer vinyl, I enjoy the larger than life artwork and the more so hands on process of flipping the record. I don’t watch T.V. and haven’t owned a T.V. for years so for entertainment I sit in front of my old fashioned wooden record player and dive into the art work and listen to albums in their entirety. However I only own vinyl’s of albums that are special to me, I have everything else on cd... and I listen to cds the same way with all my attention the whole way threw. I just happen to prefer the rich analog sound and crackle of vinyl. I think cassettes are shit and have an inferior bad over all sound. I use to own many cassettes and the tape would always degrade and would sound terrible after some years. As for DVD I own few movies and or shows, and I don’t own any DVD audio CDS. I hardly watch anything and am a more so audio focused person so I don’t have many thoughts for or against DVD's. '''Let us talk a bit about your music. Why did you choose black metal as a genre? What do you associate with it and how does it suit your purpose of writing music?''' Black metal is more so the root of the music, the themes and concepts of the music would fit into dark metal a bit more perhaps. But black metal was always the musical form closest to me that I could relate to the most and that I know and listen to the most so it came natural. However I wanted to break away from the close mindedness of a lot of black metal and the same old influences/lyrics, and sound of most black metal bands. The style of black metal fits well for me as a vessel to express the lyrical rituals I write, and when I write riffs on guitar the black metal aesthetic comes the most natural for me. Black metal is a bit more so dedicated and hidden than most metal forms, and most of the time deals with a more so deep lyrical theme and concept. Another aspect unique to black metal is almost only in this genre do musicians actually live what they write; it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a dedication. This fits the relationship I have to my music and lyrics '''Unlike a lot of black metal bands, you do not use a typical type of pseudonym and also no symbols are used in your logo and your album. What makes you avoid these aspects of the genre? Is there a chance to see them implemented later?''' I think the over arching rock star like ego and image in a lot of black metal is pathetic and ridiculous, so I chose not to use a typical " lord so and so" type pseudonym or picture of me dressed up in leather with spikes and blood. I prefer to not be associated with my music and prefer to remain a mystery for I want the listener to make the music into their own unique experience. The pseudonym is a bit of a play on words I was originally thinking of not printing anything or using any name what so ever. Yet the name unknown is a name, and is still completely unknown not giving any hint at who I am... a paradox that I felt fit in irony. As far as symbols you may see some in my future works. '''You use acoustic parts in your music and as your topics are also related to nature, what would your opinion be on the issue of field-recordings in black metal; like Vinterriket uses them for example? Would this be something you might consider to add to your compositions on forthcoming releases?''' I welcome field recordings or traditional instruments in black metal music. I enjoy the works of Vinterriket and feel that field recordings are a unique way of capturing nature and adding to atmosphere instead of using synthetic keyboards. However I am not sure if Reverie will ever have field recordings. I don’t do these sorts of things or own any recording devices, so it would depend on the fact of a future possible band member doing this. '''How would you describe your album? What kind of sound and atmosphere could someone expect on it.''' The isolation album was designed to be a mix of dark, black, thrash, doom, death metal with a myriad of other influences. It was also a goal to not sound like any other band and to be diverse with style and offer something original while keeping the music dark and rooted in black metal. The atmosphere presented would be that of the aesthetics found in the album, however not just any eye could pick up what it is that is being portrayed by the aesthetics found in the album. The isolation album is a journey away from humanity and society leading deep into the wilderness to find the cosmic gateways to other dimensions of enlightenment. The sound is a bit more so modern and polished in order to have every riff be heard clearly and let the music stand for itself and not be changed by the production or sound engineering. '''You already announce a release for the next year and is it possible for you to give us some hints on what will make it different from your debut?''' What I will say is that Reverie will have a new sound, and this next album will be 100 times better than the 1st album. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) on your self-titled debut been?''' It has been hard since this 1st album was self released and did not have the support from a record label with promotion etc. I did not send the album to any zines, magazines, or websites/webzines, so really you are the only person who has reviewed it! However I have had a lot of great responses from people who have heard some of the songs on myspace, or people that have gotten the cd. As for labels I must have sent the cd out to about 80 record labels and only 4 labels replied back. What was interesting is that the label Reverie ended up signing to found me via the reverie myspace site out of the blue and I hadn’t sent them a CD or contacted them prior... I didn’t even know of the label. So the label (atmf records) ended up liking the music and we decided to work together and signed a contract. '''Are there any chances to see more members joining your band or do you want Reverie to stay one-man-band? Are there any beneficiaries that can be gained from this minimalist line-up?''' I think about this issue a lot... I would like to find a full line up some day. There are many benefits and pit falls to a full line up and one man band. I have a very specific musical metaphysical vision that I want represented with a specific aesthetic. I have never found or known any musicians who are dedicated and talented who also share these visions with me. If I found the rite people it would be amazing to collaborate and then be able to create music together in a live setting. However with my standards being a bit hard to fulfill, If I brought other people into the band who did not understand and live the philosophy of the music I would have to be a complete dictator and that is painful to deal with both for other musicians and for myself. The benefits of working alone gives me complete control of the sound and music so I can create my art the way it was met to be without outside influences watering down the final product. However I can’t play live and have to work much harder to do everything alone and it is very expensive to pay for a studio and session drummer. The bottom line is that I wont settle for anything or lower my standards for another musician and it is just very hard to find like minded individuals who share my musical vision and who would fit the part. '''What about the ever-growing number of side-projects? Do you plan to start one, too, or do you want to concentrate all your energies on Reverie?''' I enjoy a lot of side projects and understand that some bands or projects can’t represent every aspect and style of expression of a diverse and or well rounded musician. I would like to do some side projects and join other bands in the future. But nothing is in the works at this moment other than the next Reverie album. In September of 2009 I am moving to Maryland USA and will start to look for and contact other musicians so there is the possibility of another member joining Reverie then, a side project, or me joining another band. '''Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential?''' for metal albums I would say; the 3 agalloch full length albums, the 1st 3 ulver albums, in the woods - omnio, the 1st 2 borknagar albums, limbonic art - moon in the Scorpio, leviathan - tentacles of horror, beherit - drawing down the moon, weakling - dead as dreams, Kvist - For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike, old mans child - the pagan prosperity, satyricon - dark midevil times, katatonia - brave murder day, and most albums by iron maiden, king diamond and mercyful fate... I could go on forever there are a lot of essential albums! For non metal... porcupine tree - lightbulb sun, Bass communion - 2, 1st 3 nine inch nails albums, sisters of mercy - 1st and last and always, coil - music to play in the dark volume 1 and 2, ulver - predemption city and silencing the singing/silence teaches you how to sing, and most albums by devil doll and fields of the neiphelim. There’s a lot more but I will stop here. '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' The only contact is via the Reverie Myspace site www.myspace.com/thetruereverie The Isolation album is available in many different underground labels and distros web shops in many different countries. However the easiest way to get a copy would be threw atmf records www.atmf.net, from the band via the myspace site, or from the end records www.theendrecords.com '''Final words, please.''' microcosm veered into the macrocosm - everything, nothing, infinite light, infinite darkness, - macrocosm veered into the microcosm. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Reverie]][[Category:Sylvan Realm]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:USA]][[Category:2008]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2008]][[Genre::Black Metal]] </div> 9971aa6909f4e92518d8491701b775aee0f56aa6 0 53 123 2021-07-21T18:28:48Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 54 124 2021-07-21T18:28:54Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 55 127 2021-07-21T18:29:49Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 37 128 90 2021-07-21T18:30:45Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:The Lost Trades]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]] </div> c6d3667d0c25b4259d94ce66bb4ad6254d2da819 130 128 2021-07-21T18:35:21Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It took Bandcamp a while to get their live stuff up and running properly, after the first glimpse into their approach in December 2020. The Lost Trades are a new band and this live concert was used to present their debut album. With some smaller releases thrown towards the masses in 2020, this one would present it all properly; deluxe edition and such. The band consists of two men plus one woman, who maintained social distance, while swapping instruments without cleaning them, but this could be quite a tricky issue. Also, maybe it is not that easy to get this done properly without having a negative effect on the sound of the instruments. Or maybe the band and the crew had already been vaccinated, so the issue of getting a severe form of Sars-Cov-2 was not of an issue. Anyway, the setting was as what you can expect: several instruments, desks, a flag in the background, mics were arranged in some kind of semi-circle and hardly any drinks were to be found. Maybe they gulped down a bottle or two afterwards. Serious business, then. The recording, the cameras and the chat were handled by a small group of supporters. This is definitely a good thing, because it keeps the distraction away from the musicians and enables the band the "respond" to audience. How? Well in the first track the bass-guitar was only appearing in a visible kind of way, while being on vacation in terms of the sound. The writer of these lines complained about it and the bass was turned up a bit or received a rougher treatment. Whatever they did, with the beginning of the second track the sound was better. Not perfect, because the percussions were too loud and one of the mics was not loud enough, but overall it was quite good. The band wanted to deliver and they did deliver. It is not often to see such a performance for a crowd of only roughly thirty people + local crew. With an entire album plus bonus track (deluxe edition) to present, the band did waste too much time and offered the audience what all "came" for. The music is as can be expected: cheerful, very harmonic, possible to sing along. They even made a threat that one of their tracks would require participation of an audience once they have the opportunity to play in front of once again. Good to listen to, charming, and interesting is what comes to mind when listening to this release. A well done performance of well done tracks; as of writing these lines the music is not available to listen to ... with the exception of one track that is. If all, which they are not, streaming performances are of this quality, then this is definitely something that can help bands to reach a wider audience. This 1:15h was quite enjoyable. They play folk music ... just in case anyone was wondering. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:The Lost Trades]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Band::The Lost Trades]][[Date::2021-04-02]] </div> 5602f1fbe1f995e96ae5452c1bedf4f5348d0feb 0 56 129 2021-07-21T18:30:53Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 102 57 134 2021-07-21T18:39:58Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 58 135 2021-07-21T18:40:05Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 59 140 2021-07-21T18:55:48Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Fifi Rong: Yi Jing Live Episode 1'Only Man' Bandcamp or rather streaming performance differ in quality and setting. Some are minimal and reduced to..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Fifi Rong: Yi Jing Live Episode 1'Only Man' Bandcamp or rather streaming performance differ in quality and setting. Some are minimal and reduced to a spare amount of elements; a person, an instrument and a mic + streaming equipment. Fifi Rong is on the opposite spectrum. Even though there is no band and even though the music appears to be played instrumental with her "singing along", this is absolutely fine. At least part of this is live. What makes the performance different is not only the level of make-up used by the artist, but also the quality of the background illumination as well as the lighting that has been used. Furthermore, members of a VIP-level could re-watch the performance in 4K later on! Even though the entire concert is only twenty-three minutes long, the quality and level of professionalism is staggering. As the writer of these lines has currently no other option but to watch it on a 24" screen, it feels like a missed opportunity in terms of this band. Scenes from clashing waves can be seen in the background, various types of illuminations, stuff thrown around, fire, smoke and the sort. In terms of the lighting of her an equal variety can be found: small specks of light over to full spot ons. Yet most of the times it all remains gloomy and mysterious. Which is cool and adds a certain dynamic to the performance. It creates tension and atmosphere. Unlike performances of other bands it is here that the visual aspects are an important factor. The music itself has its own charm of course, but it is more on the pop side with Chinese influences. Rather unconventional in sound, it is still of the type common in the genre. Yet it is a welcome addition with the vocals and the influences from another culture. Fifi Rong does her part to impress the audience. With a proper make-up, finger stiletto claws and the sort her presence or rather the single focus that is being put on her works. Her calm and gentle voice does the rest. It would be interesting to see this on a proper stage. Yes, this is rather commercial stuff and it is pop music and the lyrics are ... well ... you know ... but the overall performance is on a quality that makes this a recommended artist; even if this kind of music might not be preferable to everyone. Note: Came with a free download of Alone, a full-length from 2016. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Fifi Rong]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:China]][[Category:Pop]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Band::Fifi Rong]][[Date::2021-04-04]] </div> 89737dd5fcb271364ed20cc13ef232ba8c6f0854 0 60 141 2021-07-21T19:06:55Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The title of the line concert at Bandcamp reminds on an anagram. Anyway, the performance had not been live, but a recording of a live setting. This w..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The title of the line concert at Bandcamp reminds on an anagram. Anyway, the performance had not been live, but a recording of a live setting. This would be a description by the musician of what to expect: <i>Bringing you a set of improvised music, fresh curiosities from my songwriting cabinet and plenty of sonic gezelligheid on voice & piano inside a luscious sounding church.</i>[1] And it is as you would actually expect. A lone piano surrounded by vaguely discernible equipment and one person playing and singing tunes. Melodies are vague and the vocals are equally uncommon. This may be something that finds its niche via Bandcamp, yet might find it difficult to reach out to a wider audience. Glimpses into coherent arrangements pop-up now and then, but only fade out into oblivion. The play of the piano is mostly gentle and minimalist. Simple and at times possibly even random progressions of chords/motifs. The vocals follow in line. It is possible to make out words, and at times even sentences, but all in all this aspect is reduced to a kind of sound. A gentle calmness can be felt throughout the forty-five minute performance. It is the type whose intention appears to be to evoke images in the mind of the listener. Take a step back. Step out of the level of definite and concrete imagination and presentation and step over into this world of pieces, impressions and experimentation. Just take a look at the cover artworks of the releases. It takes time and effort to reveal what is intended by the songs and music. Or will it remain incomprehensible? Red, violet and green are the colours that illuminate the setting. Black is the dominant one though. There is something fragile to it all and it is difficult to grasp the atmosphere over a live stream. The intimacy or the effect, similar to what can be experienced at a noise or ambient performance and it cannot be experienced while sitting in front of a computer screen. The music will have a much more intense effect on a listener once this person is able to attend such a performance and not merely "watch it". Somehow the mere aspect of being a distant spectator reduces the impression Suzana Lașcu is able to make. Interesting, but might work better as live performance. [1]https://suzanalascu.bandcamp.com/?sid=278&st=la {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Suzana Lașcu]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Netherlands]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Suzana Lașcu]][[Date::2021-04-04]] </div> ce1e46b3431fd5560c796e4d9c215cacf2e3736f 0 61 143 2021-07-21T19:25:51Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} From the announcement: "I will use only the Hordijk System. The music will be electronic (of course) pulsing, cosmic, dronage." That's it basically...." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} From the announcement: "I will use only the Hordijk System. The music will be electronic (of course) pulsing, cosmic, dronage." That's it basically. The perspective of the live stream was entirely on the sound system, with some hands appearing magically from here and there. In terms of the music a "playing" or "messing around" with the instrument took place, while in terms of the music a broad approach, see above, was deemed necessary. From an outside perspective it was interesting to see the capabilities of the instrument and to witness/experience how small changes helped to progress and change the sounds. In terms of a live performance, this one was rather instructive than something that one would brag about among the peers. The stream came with a free release, which is actually a cool thing. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Jos Smolders]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Netherlands]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Noise]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Noise]][[Band::Jos Smolders]][[Date::2021-04-05]] </div> f34a7e064dd975bc9f313d1b797ea811bbc7394a 0 62 144 2021-07-21T19:31:19Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Amazing. Plain and simple. This concert can be used as a prime example on why these live streams can be fun as well. First, the performance was rec..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Amazing. Plain and simple. This concert can be used as a prime example on why these live streams can be fun as well. First, the performance was recorded and made available to the attendees on the following day. Second, the music was excellent. Third, there was interaction in the chat with the audience and also the visuals were great. Being rather unfamiliar with the genres of music that were provided during this session, it may be boiled down to electronic, idm, techno and stuff; samples and so on. It was a wild intense ride, which had been a trip through the catalogue of the band, with some exclusive previously unreleased tracks. The screen showed a dj that delivered a one-hour long performance that encouraged one to turn up the volume to max. Encouraged, because as it as 10pm here, and people live nearby, it would not have been a good decision to attempt to bring the house down. This is maybe the only slightly negative aspect. Would it had been a bit earlier, the issue of the volume would have been less of an issue. Anyway, the audience was not only watching someone frenetically tormenting a dj table, the images where manipulated in a wide array of forms and colours, which made the experience even more worthwhile. Controlled chaos would be one way to describe this event and this is a good thing. 9.5/10 ... easy. Should all of the performances be of this quality, then this label should be one place to go to and to support. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Enter The Chromedome]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Jensen Interceptor]][[Category:IDM]][[Category:Techno]][[Category:Electronics]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Techno]][[Genre::Electronics]][[Genre::IDM]][[Band::Enter The Chromedome]][[Date::2021-04-09]] </div> 32e1a02f68550824c2b6d688d30f9348ace4f749 0 63 145 2021-07-22T04:52:33Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings Aurvandil, please introduce your band. Where are you from? Tell us about your motivation to start it. When was it formed and how came..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings Aurvandil, please introduce your band. Where are you from? Tell us about your motivation to start it. When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' Hailsa, unknown man. I, and therefore Aurvandil, come from France. I didn’t decide to release music at a specific moment. I was just playing the guitar and listening to music, and everything went naturally. It was materialised in mid-2006, on an immature decision to actually record music, and was assembled under the Aurvandil moniker. '''Please enlighten us on your influences; music, literature or art in general.''' Music rules(/ruins) my life. It sounds generic, but it is true for most of us who share the same passion. There is no hour without music. Heavy Metal and its subgenres, especially Black Metal, appeal to me. However, it would seem pointless to name influences, as they wouldn’t be found in the music. Literature does influence me, mainly fantasy, old anticipation/sci-fi short stories and novels, historical (mostly Celtic and medieval works), etc. I have little interest in graphic arts, though I can appreciate its beauty. However, I don’t think we should associate Black Metal (or Aurvandil for that matter) to Art; Art’s greatest quality is to have no use; strangely enough, it is good and necessary. But Black Metal is not just music; it is a way of thinking and of apprehending the surroundings with an eye very different from ‘normal’ people. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) been over the years?''' The responses have been very scarce in these two years. The fans are few, silent, and since they are ‘fans’, they appreciate the music and concept, that’s what I can tell from guesswork. Apart from NTR and the labels that carry Aurvandil material, the response from labels is near to null. A couple tape labels approached me, but hey, I cannot just record some tracks when a label offers a release. No response from magazines or fanzines. A couple webzines have published a review, but that’s pretty much it. And then, there are a few individuals like you, who follow Aurvandil’s works while being critical and perspicacious (and also unappreciative) about it. Needless to say that these are the most interesting. '''Do you write all the music by yourself or are there other musicians with whom you compose songs?''' All music is composed by me. No external help is planned for now, except for the drummer addition. '''What is your opinion on one-man bands? Do they have dis-/advantages in comparison with a 'full' line-up?''' You might laugh, and rightfully, but I despise most one-man-bands. Yourself have disserted and studied the shortcomings of such projects, mainly: bad production, bad drum-machine, composition restriction. The only advantage I can think of is that I do what I want, I get lessons from no-one but reviewers, and even I may not follow them. From this I can deduce a disadvantage: most of the time, it is very hard to be critical about your own work, hence the need for an external opinion prior to release. I hope I overcame this. Also, in terms of composition and recording, everything is way faster, as you don’t have to wait for your bassist, who is sick, or you drummer who is on holiday etc... You are independent schedule-wise. '''Tell us about your side-projects. What differentiates them from Aurvandil and how are they going? What has been your intention to create them? Any responses on them so far?''' Two other different projects were created in early 2007. Morgoth started as a project for all the acoustic parts I had no use, added with my growing interest into Mournful Congregation. Morgoth is now heavier and relentless, with sludge influences taken more and more room. A LP should see the light in 2009. Manipulator was envisioned as a non-serious death metal project. It appeared that my visions have changed. A EP should be released in 2009, and then a full-length album, with more influences from early Darkthrone and Portal. A demo was released for both, it was practically not distributed, and accordingly, apart from your and a Hungarian webzine’s reviews, the response is close to nihil. '''You have released two splits so far: one with Halla from Iran and one with Tchernobyl 75666. How did you manage to get the former done? A split with an Iranian band is certainly out of the common. Are new splits planned?''' ‘Horizons’ was created following an exchange I had with Indar. He simply contacted me for this purpose, and after thoughts, the whole thing was set, with NTR backing it (Cheers to Noah for his constant support). Uncommon indeed, yet an interesting experience. However, it shan’t be renewed, as I am now seeking specific bands for split releases. Well, actually, the split with Blood Rising is such an experience, but this is the last. Upcoming split releases are: -With Blood Rising. It is a cold mechanical black metal project from Bombstrike guitarist Martin. Nice vibe, but nothing released yet. The split will feature three Aurvandil songs: two ‘new’ ones and a Celtic Frost cover, and should be released in the end of the year. It is our wish that this is released on vinyl, but it’s extremely difficult to get a label willing to press this. Any interested label is welcome for contact. -With Dead As Dreams. Extremely spontaneous split. They play an original mid-tempo psyched’ black metal. The split will feature two songs from each band, and I have starting the recording. You can definitely expect a change of pace and sound; indeed the Aurvandil material is influenced by Dead As Dreams, Paysage d’Hiver, This is Past and maybe Darkthrone. '''Tell us about where you have started with Aurvandil in terms of the music and where to do you want to progress with the band.''' Aurvandil started as a moniker assembling all the songs I made at the time. Part I: Fall is essentially minimalist rock tunes mixed with black metal. Part II: Winter keeps the minimalism but adds an epic edge, and the essence of cold, blast-driven monotonous black metal. Død is how Aurvandil mainly sounds like: melodic, yet rather violent and dark. Futile Reh is a collection of vain tracks, which are the very logical evolution of Død. The album material is composed of re-recorded and rearranged tracks from the first demos. The upcoming splits show a rather abrupt evolution, you will see in which direction, and finally the EP to come will be blasting cold black metal inspired by my current surroundings. I do not decide what I do with Aurvandil, and that is where the entity is autonomous. I am but its tool. '''Aurvandil does not sound like a lot of black metal bands. In fact, it has a special sound and atmosphere. How do you see your band in comparison with other ones? What are the essential facets of your art?''' My perception toward other bands depends from the said-bands. I feel small and worthless next to some, while I feel very proud of my stuff regarding others. Well, I already told you I don’t do art, but the most important and permanent facets are, in my opinion, the atmosphere created by the layered guitar leads, and the overall simplicity of the music. On the upcoming material, I have worked to bring atmosphere through the rhythm guitars, hence a lack of solos, but a more coherent riff evolution. '''What do your lyrics deal with?''' Aurvandil mainly speaks of The Journey of a man (that is Gylfi, or Gangleri, the Wanderer) toward North. This is the debut album theme. Of course, throughout the demos, influences and variations of the environment, the lyrical content has evolved. The main themes are the Journey, either Northward or Skyward, and everything related to it: winter, coldness, nature, astral visions and absence of humanity. '''Which language do you prefer for them and does the choice influence the atmosphere?''' English is a rich-enough tongue to express the harshness in Aurvandil. French doesn’t interest me, mainly because it doesn’t sound so good hehe. German I have never spoken but it perfectly transmits the feelings hidden. Finally, Norse-related languages are of great interest to me, for various reasons. '''Black metal is often associated with 'Satanism' respectively 'anti-Christian' themes. How does this aspect influence your music and the concept behind “Aurvandil”?''' Black Metal is Satanist and anti-christian in essence; it was born from this hate. One could think Black Metal has to be Satanist/anti-christian. Black Metal is a main influence for Aurvandil, as you might have noticed. I enjoy Satanism as an interesting image to express anti-christian feelings, and to spit in the eye of all that is sacred for ‘normal’ people. But because it is so, does it mean I have to be a Satanist? I worship no god, I bow to none*. No god, nor its inverted reflection. '''You do not use symbols of any kind. No inverted cross, no pentagram. Please tell us the reasons why these seem to be of no importance to you. Is the use of them stressed too much these days?''' I do use symbols. They are well hidden, that is all. No inverted cross or pentagram, because, while Aurvandil is absolutely anti-religious, it does not embrace Satanism (although references are made) nor uses redundant iconography. I admire once more Darkthrone, who tag themselves as ‘Unholy’ and not ‘Satanic’; they use satanic imagery and poetry, but not without subtlety. Aurvandil’s symbolic is important to me, but one should be able to see past it. So if by symbols you mean ‘usual black metal symbolism’, yes, it has no interest for Aurvandil, though I personally enjoy it. '''How do you see the LLN?''' I know near to nothing about it, and my interest in the Black Legions equals my knowledge of it. That should answer your question. '''Clean sound vs. raw sound. Which of these do you prefer and explain why?''' There is no absolute answer to this. Both are appropriate for different kinds of music. Aurvandil lingers in raw sound, because rawness is a main part of it. However, I enjoy a clean production, no doubt! But maybe we don’t have the same definition of clean/raw sound: for example, Darkthrone’s (again!) FOAD has a clean sound; every instrument can be heard equally, the guitars have light distortion. So, clean sound, but it is clear that Darkthrone is not the kind of band you can accuse of being overproduced. Once again, it depends on how you see production. '''As an artist, how do you see the tendency to download music?''' Once and for all, I am not an artist. I am Aurvandil’s tool. As such, I see downloading as a good way to discover bands and to prevent purchases that might be regretted, but I don’t use it. As a music amateur, I find pleasure only in the materialisation of the work, and therefore only physical copies interest me (not too fond of extra die hard limited stuff, though). I also like to purchase material from bands I don’t know, so that leaves room for surprises, and as of now, I had very few bad surprises. '''What do you prefer? Exchanges via e-mail or sending letters to people abroad? Please explain.''' Sending written letters has a lot of charm. But, for the sake of practical issues (and laziness, sadly), I mostly use the electronic mailing systems. '''As the scene is changing due to the rise of the internet, how do you see the metal scene or the black metal one in particular? What does the term 'underground' mean to you?''' I follow no scene, but a very simple observation shows that since in all times, there has been masses of ‘unserious’ bands. The myspace/bedroom black metal/drone wave will break like all others. Internet is typically a useful tool of discovery and communication, but it has its downsides... The Underground has two faces: it is a blanket term for everything not signed to a major label, a marketing phrase used in the informal circuits to sell unworthy products to credulous teenagers. It is a scene of posers, elitists, jerks, and arseholes of all kinds craving for ‘coolness’, and a pretext to mediocrity. It also is a core of individuals and collectives dedicated to music and to a ‘good’ attitude, non-capitalistic, nostalgic, and willing to support worthy acts by releasing music on obsolete format. *I actually bow to those. '''If you should name a few good underground labels, which ones would they be?''' You know what they are... I cannot name them all, but I know that many of them are good and dedicated. Nokturnal Transmissions Records, despite what one may think, is dedicated, professional and has the particularity to ‘not give a fuck’. Carnal Sadist Productions, Skull Fucking Metal and AVRecords, the unholy underground black metal trio has my admiration and support. None More Black records views appeal to me. On the French side of things, it’s scarcer but: Legion of Death is a real purveyor from hell. He signs mainly stuff from obscure countries, get in touch with him. Ostra Records release quality doom records on black wax. To name a very few... '''How do you see the NS and pagan bands?''' I would not put them in the same bag... I try not to look in their direction, so I can’t see them. More seriously: I don’t believe in racism (well I do believe there exists physiological differences between people, but superiority of one? Give me a break), and I find the whole IIIrd Reich/Hitler worship very stupid. I am anti-religious, and that includes Judaism; also I do believe the medias are totally biased... but ZOG? Once again, give me a fucking break. So, basically, white power raving crap makes me sick. Plus, it is generally worthless music-(un)wise. Pagan Black Metal bands I can enjoy. I understand how one can take pride in one’s ancestry and heritage (though I do not apply it), and I usually like the heathen and pagan iconography, and have great interest in historical and mythological aspects. '''What is black metal? How would you describe this term? Has its meaning and implication changed over time?''' How could I describe it? Very simple motto: Black as night, metal’s might. Black Metal is an expression of hatred, darkness, misanthropy, a rejection of all that is sacred, a Fist in the face of God. Black Metal has never changed, but its perception by those who claim to play it has changed a great deal. While numerous bands and persons have watered it down, Black Metal remains the essence. That is a reason why I rarely say which bands I listen to, I just say that I listen to Black Metal, and it is enough. '''You have also a small label. Have you already some releases out on it or are there any planned?''' Cold Void Emanations was created to release demos from worthy and quality (and un-recognised) bands, regardless of the genre, the key words being consistency, coherence and quality. This is my modest contribution to my definition of the Underground. Some releases are planned, and will be issued very soon: -Void1 – While Sad Spirits Around Me Stroll – Grey demo (instrumental black metal with great riffs). -Void2 – Widergeist – Storm of Thoughts (black metal with no guitar, but brooding atmosphere made by basses and blast beats. Pre-Irrwisch band) '''Towards the end of the interview: Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential? To list a compendium would be a futile exercise in which I have no interest. What other bands from your country should we give a try?''' Go for De Silence Et D’Ombre (Black Metal in the ‘astral’ vein), Sünhopfer (at last, an excellent quality one-piece band), Maïeutiste (Doomed Black Metal, very original), Hyadningar (Sick Black Metal with a classical edge), Arphaxat (what Black Metal is... no guitars!) etc... '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' People who have an interest in Aurvandil or Cold Void Emanations can contact me through this email address: dworkin at hotmail dot com or through the Aurvandil myspace page. I support initiatives, folks, so here is the snail mail address. --- I answer every single mail or letter, whatever it is about. Aurvandil material can be obtained from various distros (check the link section on the website), or through myself. '''Final words, please.''' Thank you for your time and interest. Drift. www.myspace.com/aurvandilmusic www.freewebs.com/aurvandil/ {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Aurvandil]][[Category:France]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2008]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2008]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Band::Aurvandil]] </div> 94a2c3906f504a0a953e398f3c97bd7d783d1443 146 145 2021-07-22T04:53:52Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings Aurvandil, please introduce your band. Where are you from? Tell us about your motivation to start it. When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' Hailsa, unknown man. I, and therefore Aurvandil, come from France. I didn’t decide to release music at a specific moment. I was just playing the guitar and listening to music, and everything went naturally. It was materialised in mid-2006, on an immature decision to actually record music, and was assembled under the Aurvandil moniker. '''Please enlighten us on your influences; music, literature or art in general.''' Music rules(/ruins) my life. It sounds generic, but it is true for most of us who share the same passion. There is no hour without music. Heavy Metal and its subgenres, especially Black Metal, appeal to me. However, it would seem pointless to name influences, as they wouldn’t be found in the music. Literature does influence me, mainly fantasy, old anticipation/sci-fi short stories and novels, historical (mostly Celtic and medieval works), etc. I have little interest in graphic arts, though I can appreciate its beauty. However, I don’t think we should associate Black Metal (or Aurvandil for that matter) to Art; Art’s greatest quality is to have no use; strangely enough, it is good and necessary. But Black Metal is not just music; it is a way of thinking and of apprehending the surroundings with an eye very different from ‘normal’ people. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) been over the years?''' The responses have been very scarce in these two years. The fans are few, silent, and since they are ‘fans’, they appreciate the music and concept, that’s what I can tell from guesswork. Apart from NTR and the labels that carry Aurvandil material, the response from labels is near to null. A couple tape labels approached me, but hey, I cannot just record some tracks when a label offers a release. No response from magazines or fanzines. A couple webzines have published a review, but that’s pretty much it. And then, there are a few individuals like you, who follow Aurvandil’s works while being critical and perspicacious (and also unappreciative) about it. Needless to say that these are the most interesting. '''Do you write all the music by yourself or are there other musicians with whom you compose songs?''' All music is composed by me. No external help is planned for now, except for the drummer addition. '''What is your opinion on one-man bands? Do they have dis-/advantages in comparison with a 'full' line-up?''' You might laugh, and rightfully, but I despise most one-man-bands. Yourself have disserted and studied the shortcomings of such projects, mainly: bad production, bad drum-machine, composition restriction. The only advantage I can think of is that I do what I want, I get lessons from no-one but reviewers, and even I may not follow them. From this I can deduce a disadvantage: most of the time, it is very hard to be critical about your own work, hence the need for an external opinion prior to release. I hope I overcame this. Also, in terms of composition and recording, everything is way faster, as you don’t have to wait for your bassist, who is sick, or you drummer who is on holiday etc... You are independent schedule-wise. '''Tell us about your side-projects. What differentiates them from Aurvandil and how are they going? What has been your intention to create them? Any responses on them so far?''' Two other different projects were created in early 2007. Morgoth started as a project for all the acoustic parts I had no use, added with my growing interest into Mournful Congregation. Morgoth is now heavier and relentless, with sludge influences taken more and more room. A LP should see the light in 2009. Manipulator was envisioned as a non-serious death metal project. It appeared that my visions have changed. A EP should be released in 2009, and then a full-length album, with more influences from early Darkthrone and Portal. A demo was released for both, it was practically not distributed, and accordingly, apart from your and a Hungarian webzine’s reviews, the response is close to nihil. '''You have released two splits so far: one with Halla from Iran and one with Tchernobyl 75666. How did you manage to get the former done? A split with an Iranian band is certainly out of the common. Are new splits planned?''' ‘Horizons’ was created following an exchange I had with Indar. He simply contacted me for this purpose, and after thoughts, the whole thing was set, with NTR backing it (Cheers to Noah for his constant support). Uncommon indeed, yet an interesting experience. However, it shan’t be renewed, as I am now seeking specific bands for split releases. Well, actually, the split with Blood Rising is such an experience, but this is the last. Upcoming split releases are: -With Blood Rising. It is a cold mechanical black metal project from Bombstrike guitarist Martin. Nice vibe, but nothing released yet. The split will feature three Aurvandil songs: two ‘new’ ones and a Celtic Frost cover, and should be released in the end of the year. It is our wish that this is released on vinyl, but it’s extremely difficult to get a label willing to press this. Any interested label is welcome for contact. -With Dead As Dreams. Extremely spontaneous split. They play an original mid-tempo psyched’ black metal. The split will feature two songs from each band, and I have starting the recording. You can definitely expect a change of pace and sound; indeed the Aurvandil material is influenced by Dead As Dreams, Paysage d’Hiver, This is Past and maybe Darkthrone. '''Tell us about where you have started with Aurvandil in terms of the music and where to do you want to progress with the band.''' Aurvandil started as a moniker assembling all the songs I made at the time. Part I: Fall is essentially minimalist rock tunes mixed with black metal. Part II: Winter keeps the minimalism but adds an epic edge, and the essence of cold, blast-driven monotonous black metal. Død is how Aurvandil mainly sounds like: melodic, yet rather violent and dark. Futile Reh is a collection of vain tracks, which are the very logical evolution of Død. The album material is composed of re-recorded and rearranged tracks from the first demos. The upcoming splits show a rather abrupt evolution, you will see in which direction, and finally the EP to come will be blasting cold black metal inspired by my current surroundings. I do not decide what I do with Aurvandil, and that is where the entity is autonomous. I am but its tool. '''Aurvandil does not sound like a lot of black metal bands. In fact, it has a special sound and atmosphere. How do you see your band in comparison with other ones? What are the essential facets of your art?''' My perception toward other bands depends from the said-bands. I feel small and worthless next to some, while I feel very proud of my stuff regarding others. Well, I already told you I don’t do art, but the most important and permanent facets are, in my opinion, the atmosphere created by the layered guitar leads, and the overall simplicity of the music. On the upcoming material, I have worked to bring atmosphere through the rhythm guitars, hence a lack of solos, but a more coherent riff evolution. '''What do your lyrics deal with?''' Aurvandil mainly speaks of The Journey of a man (that is Gylfi, or Gangleri, the Wanderer) toward North. This is the debut album theme. Of course, throughout the demos, influences and variations of the environment, the lyrical content has evolved. The main themes are the Journey, either Northward or Skyward, and everything related to it: winter, coldness, nature, astral visions and absence of humanity. '''Which language do you prefer for them and does the choice influence the atmosphere?''' English is a rich-enough tongue to express the harshness in Aurvandil. French doesn’t interest me, mainly because it doesn’t sound so good hehe. German I have never spoken but it perfectly transmits the feelings hidden. Finally, Norse-related languages are of great interest to me, for various reasons. '''Black metal is often associated with 'Satanism' respectively 'anti-Christian' themes. How does this aspect influence your music and the concept behind “Aurvandil”?''' Black Metal is Satanist and anti-christian in essence; it was born from this hate. One could think Black Metal has to be Satanist/anti-christian. Black Metal is a main influence for Aurvandil, as you might have noticed. I enjoy Satanism as an interesting image to express anti-christian feelings, and to spit in the eye of all that is sacred for ‘normal’ people. But because it is so, does it mean I have to be a Satanist? I worship no god, I bow to none*. No god, nor its inverted reflection. '''You do not use symbols of any kind. No inverted cross, no pentagram. Please tell us the reasons why these seem to be of no importance to you. Is the use of them stressed too much these days?''' I do use symbols. They are well hidden, that is all. No inverted cross or pentagram, because, while Aurvandil is absolutely anti-religious, it does not embrace Satanism (although references are made) nor uses redundant iconography. I admire once more Darkthrone, who tag themselves as ‘Unholy’ and not ‘Satanic’; they use satanic imagery and poetry, but not without subtlety. Aurvandil’s symbolic is important to me, but one should be able to see past it. So if by symbols you mean ‘usual black metal symbolism’, yes, it has no interest for Aurvandil, though I personally enjoy it. '''How do you see the LLN?''' I know near to nothing about it, and my interest in the Black Legions equals my knowledge of it. That should answer your question. '''Clean sound vs. raw sound. Which of these do you prefer and explain why?''' There is no absolute answer to this. Both are appropriate for different kinds of music. Aurvandil lingers in raw sound, because rawness is a main part of it. However, I enjoy a clean production, no doubt! But maybe we don’t have the same definition of clean/raw sound: for example, Darkthrone’s (again!) FOAD has a clean sound; every instrument can be heard equally, the guitars have light distortion. So, clean sound, but it is clear that Darkthrone is not the kind of band you can accuse of being overproduced. Once again, it depends on how you see production. '''As an artist, how do you see the tendency to download music?''' Once and for all, I am not an artist. I am Aurvandil’s tool. As such, I see downloading as a good way to discover bands and to prevent purchases that might be regretted, but I don’t use it. As a music amateur, I find pleasure only in the materialisation of the work, and therefore only physical copies interest me (not too fond of extra die hard limited stuff, though). I also like to purchase material from bands I don’t know, so that leaves room for surprises, and as of now, I had very few bad surprises. '''What do you prefer? Exchanges via e-mail or sending letters to people abroad? Please explain.''' Sending written letters has a lot of charm. But, for the sake of practical issues (and laziness, sadly), I mostly use the electronic mailing systems. '''As the scene is changing due to the rise of the internet, how do you see the metal scene or the black metal one in particular? What does the term 'underground' mean to you?''' I follow no scene, but a very simple observation shows that since in all times, there has been masses of ‘unserious’ bands. The myspace/bedroom black metal/drone wave will break like all others. Internet is typically a useful tool of discovery and communication, but it has its downsides... The Underground has two faces: it is a blanket term for everything not signed to a major label, a marketing phrase used in the informal circuits to sell unworthy products to credulous teenagers. It is a scene of posers, elitists, jerks, and arseholes of all kinds craving for ‘coolness’, and a pretext to mediocrity. It also is a core of individuals and collectives dedicated to music and to a ‘good’ attitude, non-capitalistic, nostalgic, and willing to support worthy acts by releasing music on obsolete format. *I actually bow to those. '''If you should name a few good underground labels, which ones would they be?''' You know what they are... I cannot name them all, but I know that many of them are good and dedicated. Nokturnal Transmissions Records, despite what one may think, is dedicated, professional and has the particularity to ‘not give a fuck’. Carnal Sadist Productions, Skull Fucking Metal and AVRecords, the unholy underground black metal trio has my admiration and support. None More Black records views appeal to me. On the French side of things, it’s scarcer but: Legion of Death is a real purveyor from hell. He signs mainly stuff from obscure countries, get in touch with him. Ostra Records release quality doom records on black wax. To name a very few... '''How do you see the NS and pagan bands?''' I would not put them in the same bag... I try not to look in their direction, so I can’t see them. More seriously: I don’t believe in racism (well I do believe there exists physiological differences between people, but superiority of one? Give me a break), and I find the whole IIIrd Reich/Hitler worship very stupid. I am anti-religious, and that includes Judaism; also I do believe the medias are totally biased... but ZOG? Once again, give me a fucking break. So, basically, white power raving crap makes me sick. Plus, it is generally worthless music-(un)wise. Pagan Black Metal bands I can enjoy. I understand how one can take pride in one’s ancestry and heritage (though I do not apply it), and I usually like the heathen and pagan iconography, and have great interest in historical and mythological aspects. '''What is black metal? How would you describe this term? Has its meaning and implication changed over time?''' How could I describe it? Very simple motto: Black as night, metal’s might. Black Metal is an expression of hatred, darkness, misanthropy, a rejection of all that is sacred, a Fist in the face of God. Black Metal has never changed, but its perception by those who claim to play it has changed a great deal. While numerous bands and persons have watered it down, Black Metal remains the essence. That is a reason why I rarely say which bands I listen to, I just say that I listen to Black Metal, and it is enough. '''You have also a small label. Have you already some releases out on it or are there any planned?''' Cold Void Emanations was created to release demos from worthy and quality (and un-recognised) bands, regardless of the genre, the key words being consistency, coherence and quality. This is my modest contribution to my definition of the Underground. Some releases are planned, and will be issued very soon: -Void1 – While Sad Spirits Around Me Stroll – Grey demo (instrumental black metal with great riffs). -Void2 – Widergeist – Storm of Thoughts (black metal with no guitar, but brooding atmosphere made by basses and blast beats. Pre-Irrwisch band) '''Towards the end of the interview: Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential? To list a compendium would be a futile exercise in which I have no interest. What other bands from your country should we give a try?''' Go for De Silence Et D’Ombre (Black Metal in the ‘astral’ vein), Sünhopfer (at last, an excellent quality one-piece band), Maïeutiste (Doomed Black Metal, very original), Hyadningar (Sick Black Metal with a classical edge), Arphaxat (what Black Metal is... no guitars!) etc... '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' People who have an interest in Aurvandil or Cold Void Emanations can contact me through this email address: dworkin at hotmail dot com or through the Aurvandil myspace page. I support initiatives, folks, so here is the snail mail address. --- I answer every single mail or letter, whatever it is about. Aurvandil material can be obtained from various distros (check the link section on the website), or through myself. '''Final words, please.''' Thank you for your time and interest. Drift. www.myspace.com/aurvandilmusic www.freewebs.com/aurvandil/ {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Aurvandil]][[Category:France]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2008]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2008]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Band::Aurvandil]] </div> 5cb5a2c2bf3c2c315a964990bd4c743c6cd1c020 147 146 2021-07-22T04:54:42Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Greetings Aurvandil, please introduce your band. Where are you from? Tell us about your motivation to start it. When was it formed and how came all into existence?''' Hailsa, unknown man. I, and therefore Aurvandil, come from France. I didn’t decide to release music at a specific moment. I was just playing the guitar and listening to music, and everything went naturally. It was materialised in mid-2006, on an immature decision to actually record music, and was assembled under the Aurvandil moniker. '''Please enlighten us on your influences; music, literature or art in general.''' Music rules(/ruins) my life. It sounds generic, but it is true for most of us who share the same passion. There is no hour without music. Heavy Metal and its subgenres, especially Black Metal, appeal to me. However, it would seem pointless to name influences, as they wouldn’t be found in the music. Literature does influence me, mainly fantasy, old anticipation/sci-fi short stories and novels, historical (mostly Celtic and medieval works), etc. I have little interest in graphic arts, though I can appreciate its beauty. However, I don’t think we should associate Black Metal (or Aurvandil for that matter) to Art; Art’s greatest quality is to have no use; strangely enough, it is good and necessary. But Black Metal is not just music; it is a way of thinking and of apprehending the surroundings with an eye very different from ‘normal’ people. '''How have been the responses (fans, labels, magazines) been over the years?''' The responses have been very scarce in these two years. The fans are few, silent, and since they are ‘fans’, they appreciate the music and concept, that’s what I can tell from guesswork. Apart from NTR and the labels that carry Aurvandil material, the response from labels is near to null. A couple tape labels approached me, but hey, I cannot just record some tracks when a label offers a release. No response from magazines or fanzines. A couple webzines have published a review, but that’s pretty much it. And then, there are a few individuals like you, who follow Aurvandil’s works while being critical and perspicacious (and also unappreciative) about it. Needless to say that these are the most interesting. '''Do you write all the music by yourself or are there other musicians with whom you compose songs?''' All music is composed by me. No external help is planned for now, except for the drummer addition. '''What is your opinion on one-man bands? Do they have dis-/advantages in comparison with a 'full' line-up?''' You might laugh, and rightfully, but I despise most one-man-bands. Yourself have disserted and studied the shortcomings of such projects, mainly: bad production, bad drum-machine, composition restriction. The only advantage I can think of is that I do what I want, I get lessons from no-one but reviewers, and even I may not follow them. From this I can deduce a disadvantage: most of the time, it is very hard to be critical about your own work, hence the need for an external opinion prior to release. I hope I overcame this. Also, in terms of composition and recording, everything is way faster, as you don’t have to wait for your bassist, who is sick, or you drummer who is on holiday etc... You are independent schedule-wise. '''Tell us about your side-projects. What differentiates them from Aurvandil and how are they going? What has been your intention to create them? Any responses on them so far?''' Two other different projects were created in early 2007. Morgoth started as a project for all the acoustic parts I had no use, added with my growing interest into Mournful Congregation. Morgoth is now heavier and relentless, with sludge influences taken more and more room. A LP should see the light in 2009. Manipulator was envisioned as a non-serious death metal project. It appeared that my visions have changed. A EP should be released in 2009, and then a full-length album, with more influences from early Darkthrone and Portal. A demo was released for both, it was practically not distributed, and accordingly, apart from your and a Hungarian webzine’s reviews, the response is close to nihil. '''You have released two splits so far: one with Halla from Iran and one with Tchernobyl 75666. How did you manage to get the former done? A split with an Iranian band is certainly out of the common. Are new splits planned?''' ‘Horizons’ was created following an exchange I had with Indar. He simply contacted me for this purpose, and after thoughts, the whole thing was set, with NTR backing it (Cheers to Noah for his constant support). Uncommon indeed, yet an interesting experience. However, it shan’t be renewed, as I am now seeking specific bands for split releases. Well, actually, the split with Blood Rising is such an experience, but this is the last. Upcoming split releases are: -With Blood Rising. It is a cold mechanical black metal project from Bombstrike guitarist Martin. Nice vibe, but nothing released yet. The split will feature three Aurvandil songs: two ‘new’ ones and a Celtic Frost cover, and should be released in the end of the year. It is our wish that this is released on vinyl, but it’s extremely difficult to get a label willing to press this. Any interested label is welcome for contact. -With Dead As Dreams. Extremely spontaneous split. They play an original mid-tempo psyched’ black metal. The split will feature two songs from each band, and I have starting the recording. You can definitely expect a change of pace and sound; indeed the Aurvandil material is influenced by Dead As Dreams, Paysage d’Hiver, This is Past and maybe Darkthrone. '''Tell us about where you have started with Aurvandil in terms of the music and where to do you want to progress with the band.''' Aurvandil started as a moniker assembling all the songs I made at the time. Part I: Fall is essentially minimalist rock tunes mixed with black metal. Part II: Winter keeps the minimalism but adds an epic edge, and the essence of cold, blast-driven monotonous black metal. Død is how Aurvandil mainly sounds like: melodic, yet rather violent and dark. Futile Reh is a collection of vain tracks, which are the very logical evolution of Død. The album material is composed of re-recorded and rearranged tracks from the first demos. The upcoming splits show a rather abrupt evolution, you will see in which direction, and finally the EP to come will be blasting cold black metal inspired by my current surroundings. I do not decide what I do with Aurvandil, and that is where the entity is autonomous. I am but its tool. '''Aurvandil does not sound like a lot of black metal bands. In fact, it has a special sound and atmosphere. How do you see your band in comparison with other ones? What are the essential facets of your art?''' My perception toward other bands depends from the said-bands. I feel small and worthless next to some, while I feel very proud of my stuff regarding others. Well, I already told you I don’t do art, but the most important and permanent facets are, in my opinion, the atmosphere created by the layered guitar leads, and the overall simplicity of the music. On the upcoming material, I have worked to bring atmosphere through the rhythm guitars, hence a lack of solos, but a more coherent riff evolution. '''What do your lyrics deal with?''' Aurvandil mainly speaks of The Journey of a man (that is Gylfi, or Gangleri, the Wanderer) toward North. This is the debut album theme. Of course, throughout the demos, influences and variations of the environment, the lyrical content has evolved. The main themes are the Journey, either Northward or Skyward, and everything related to it: winter, coldness, nature, astral visions and absence of humanity. '''Which language do you prefer for them and does the choice influence the atmosphere?''' English is a rich-enough tongue to express the harshness in Aurvandil. French doesn’t interest me, mainly because it doesn’t sound so good hehe. German I have never spoken but it perfectly transmits the feelings hidden. Finally, Norse-related languages are of great interest to me, for various reasons. '''Black metal is often associated with 'Satanism' respectively 'anti-Christian' themes. How does this aspect influence your music and the concept behind “Aurvandil”?''' Black Metal is Satanist and anti-christian in essence; it was born from this hate. One could think Black Metal has to be Satanist/anti-christian. Black Metal is a main influence for Aurvandil, as you might have noticed. I enjoy Satanism as an interesting image to express anti-christian feelings, and to spit in the eye of all that is sacred for ‘normal’ people. But because it is so, does it mean I have to be a Satanist? I worship no god, I bow to none*. No god, nor its inverted reflection. '''You do not use symbols of any kind. No inverted cross, no pentagram. Please tell us the reasons why these seem to be of no importance to you. Is the use of them stressed too much these days?''' I do use symbols. They are well hidden, that is all. No inverted cross or pentagram, because, while Aurvandil is absolutely anti-religious, it does not embrace Satanism (although references are made) nor uses redundant iconography. I admire once more Darkthrone, who tag themselves as ‘Unholy’ and not ‘Satanic’; they use satanic imagery and poetry, but not without subtlety. Aurvandil’s symbolic is important to me, but one should be able to see past it. So if by symbols you mean ‘usual black metal symbolism’, yes, it has no interest for Aurvandil, though I personally enjoy it. '''How do you see the LLN?''' I know near to nothing about it, and my interest in the Black Legions equals my knowledge of it. That should answer your question. '''Clean sound vs. raw sound. Which of these do you prefer and explain why?''' There is no absolute answer to this. Both are appropriate for different kinds of music. Aurvandil lingers in raw sound, because rawness is a main part of it. However, I enjoy a clean production, no doubt! But maybe we don’t have the same definition of clean/raw sound: for example, Darkthrone’s (again!) FOAD has a clean sound; every instrument can be heard equally, the guitars have light distortion. So, clean sound, but it is clear that Darkthrone is not the kind of band you can accuse of being overproduced. Once again, it depends on how you see production. '''As an artist, how do you see the tendency to download music?''' Once and for all, I am not an artist. I am Aurvandil’s tool. As such, I see downloading as a good way to discover bands and to prevent purchases that might be regretted, but I don’t use it. As a music amateur, I find pleasure only in the materialisation of the work, and therefore only physical copies interest me (not too fond of extra die hard limited stuff, though). I also like to purchase material from bands I don’t know, so that leaves room for surprises, and as of now, I had very few bad surprises. '''What do you prefer? Exchanges via e-mail or sending letters to people abroad? Please explain.''' Sending written letters has a lot of charm. But, for the sake of practical issues (and laziness, sadly), I mostly use the electronic mailing systems. '''As the scene is changing due to the rise of the internet, how do you see the metal scene or the black metal one in particular? What does the term 'underground' mean to you?''' I follow no scene, but a very simple observation shows that since in all times, there has been masses of ‘unserious’ bands. The myspace/bedroom black metal/drone wave will break like all others. Internet is typically a useful tool of discovery and communication, but it has its downsides... The Underground has two faces: it is a blanket term for everything not signed to a major label, a marketing phrase used in the informal circuits to sell unworthy products to credulous teenagers. It is a scene of posers, elitists, jerks, and arseholes of all kinds craving for ‘coolness’, and a pretext to mediocrity. It also is a core of individuals and collectives dedicated to music and to a ‘good’ attitude, non-capitalistic, nostalgic, and willing to support worthy acts by releasing music on obsolete format. *I actually bow to those. '''If you should name a few good underground labels, which ones would they be?''' You know what they are... I cannot name them all, but I know that many of them are good and dedicated. Nokturnal Transmissions Records, despite what one may think, is dedicated, professional and has the particularity to ‘not give a fuck’. Carnal Sadist Productions, Skull Fucking Metal and AVRecords, the unholy underground black metal trio has my admiration and support. None More Black records views appeal to me. On the French side of things, it’s scarcer but: Legion of Death is a real purveyor from hell. He signs mainly stuff from obscure countries, get in touch with him. Ostra Records release quality doom records on black wax. To name a very few... '''How do you see the NS and pagan bands?''' I would not put them in the same bag... I try not to look in their direction, so I can’t see them. More seriously: I don’t believe in racism (well I do believe there exists physiological differences between people, but superiority of one? Give me a break), and I find the whole IIIrd Reich/Hitler worship very stupid. I am anti-religious, and that includes Judaism; also I do believe the medias are totally biased... but ZOG? Once again, give me a fucking break. So, basically, white power raving crap makes me sick. Plus, it is generally worthless music-(un)wise. Pagan Black Metal bands I can enjoy. I understand how one can take pride in one’s ancestry and heritage (though I do not apply it), and I usually like the heathen and pagan iconography, and have great interest in historical and mythological aspects. '''What is black metal? How would you describe this term? Has its meaning and implication changed over time?''' How could I describe it? Very simple motto: Black as night, metal’s might. Black Metal is an expression of hatred, darkness, misanthropy, a rejection of all that is sacred, a Fist in the face of God. Black Metal has never changed, but its perception by those who claim to play it has changed a great deal. While numerous bands and persons have watered it down, Black Metal remains the essence. That is a reason why I rarely say which bands I listen to, I just say that I listen to Black Metal, and it is enough. '''You have also a small label. Have you already some releases out on it or are there any planned?''' Cold Void Emanations was created to release demos from worthy and quality (and un-recognised) bands, regardless of the genre, the key words being consistency, coherence and quality. This is my modest contribution to my definition of the Underground. Some releases are planned, and will be issued very soon: -Void1 – While Sad Spirits Around Me Stroll – Grey demo (instrumental black metal with great riffs). -Void2 – Widergeist – Storm of Thoughts (black metal with no guitar, but brooding atmosphere made by basses and blast beats. Pre-Irrwisch band) '''Towards the end of the interview: Which albums (metal/non-metal) do you see as essential? To list a compendium would be a futile exercise in which I have no interest. What other bands from your country should we give a try?''' Go for De Silence Et D’Ombre (Black Metal in the ‘astral’ vein), Sünhopfer (at last, an excellent quality one-piece band), Maïeutiste (Doomed Black Metal, very original), Hyadningar (Sick Black Metal with a classical edge), Arphaxat (what Black Metal is... no guitars!) etc... '''How can people contact you? Where can they get your releases?''' People who have an interest in Aurvandil or Cold Void Emanations can contact me through this email address: dworkin at hotmail dot com or through the Aurvandil myspace page. I support initiatives, folks, so here is the snail mail address. --- I answer every single mail or letter, whatever it is about. Aurvandil material can be obtained from various distros (check the link section on the website), or through myself. '''Final words, please.''' Thank you for your time and interest. Drift. www.myspace.com/aurvandilmusic www.freewebs.com/aurvandil/ {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Aurvandil]][[Category:France]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2008]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2008]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Band::Aurvandil]] </div> 68bb2f9050481454fe2c18383f0f9b76cc36e402 0 64 148 2021-07-22T15:38:06Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Generally speaking, a concert at Bandcamp has a length of around one hour. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. The bands/artists like to stic..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Generally speaking, a concert at Bandcamp has a length of around one hour. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. The bands/artists like to stick to this time frame and hardly deviate from it. In this case however, matters were a bit different. At some point the musician asked the Internet audience how more of the music they wanted to hear; three hours was one reply. This happened when the concert was already over an hour long. Yes indeed. One hour and forty-five minutes was the total amount of music offered and it was a really splendid performance. A lot of guitar switching, guitar tuning and interaction with the Internet audience. This was necessary, because music from three projects were offered: Homeward, Dropkick and The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness. Being utterly unfamiliar with any of these, it was quite a ride through the realm of indie pop/rock stuff or acoustic versions of something heavier. Easy-going music, cool melodies played with a guitar + great vocals and additional sampling; if a band is not available you need to make up for the lack of. A proper live performance of one of these projects would be quite nice. This stream was of a type that passes by in a blink of an eye, because it captivates you to such a degree that even this long performance felt too short. But in the end there was no disappointment because of this. It all reminds on these very special concerts that take place a very tiny venue with people crammed together, all sitting on the floor, while in front of them someone is playing song after song after song and all are listening eagerly. In times of Covid-19 this type of performance is special in its own kind of way. No Iron Maiden, which is a slightly sad thing. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Dropkick]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Rock]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Genre::Rock]][[Band::Dropkick]][[Date::2021-04-11]] </div> a95381b9f9e8cff24e0eec4a167c719d3a3f1d5b 149 148 2021-07-22T15:38:18Z Adsoluser 1 Adsoluser moved page [[Live 2021-04-1 -- Homeward, Dropkick, The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness by Dropkick]] to [[Live 2021-04-11 -- Homeward, Dropkick, The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness by Dropkick]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Generally speaking, a concert at Bandcamp has a length of around one hour. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. The bands/artists like to stick to this time frame and hardly deviate from it. In this case however, matters were a bit different. At some point the musician asked the Internet audience how more of the music they wanted to hear; three hours was one reply. This happened when the concert was already over an hour long. Yes indeed. One hour and forty-five minutes was the total amount of music offered and it was a really splendid performance. A lot of guitar switching, guitar tuning and interaction with the Internet audience. This was necessary, because music from three projects were offered: Homeward, Dropkick and The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness. Being utterly unfamiliar with any of these, it was quite a ride through the realm of indie pop/rock stuff or acoustic versions of something heavier. Easy-going music, cool melodies played with a guitar + great vocals and additional sampling; if a band is not available you need to make up for the lack of. A proper live performance of one of these projects would be quite nice. This stream was of a type that passes by in a blink of an eye, because it captivates you to such a degree that even this long performance felt too short. But in the end there was no disappointment because of this. It all reminds on these very special concerts that take place a very tiny venue with people crammed together, all sitting on the floor, while in front of them someone is playing song after song after song and all are listening eagerly. In times of Covid-19 this type of performance is special in its own kind of way. No Iron Maiden, which is a slightly sad thing. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Dropkick]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Rock]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Genre::Rock]][[Band::Dropkick]][[Date::2021-04-11]] </div> a95381b9f9e8cff24e0eec4a167c719d3a3f1d5b 14 66 151 2021-07-22T15:38:43Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 14 67 152 2021-07-22T15:38:52Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 0 68 153 2021-07-22T15:43:18Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Ellwood Epps plays solo #20 Unless you are at a live festival the aspect of "hopping" from one performance to the next is not something that appears..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Ellwood Epps plays solo #20 Unless you are at a live festival the aspect of "hopping" from one performance to the next is not something that appears in a normal basis at a concert or event. The Internet enables you to do so and once the live stream of Close Counters was over, this one was the next in line at that evening. First some cool catchy beats and then some experimental trumpet stuff. Bandcamp enables you to enjoy a broad spectrum of music. Ellwood Epps' performance consists of an interesting manipulation of a trumpet. What you could experience is rarely something with a distinctive melody, but rather an absence of it. While a lot of people will be rather annoyed by this lack of distinctive harmony in the execution, it is a welcome counterpoint to the amount of what is generally offered as a live performance at Bandcamp. Maybe someone familiar with the releases of his projects could have pointed to fragments that have found into this performance, but from an outside perspective only the intensity and the harshness of this instrument remains. Abrasive sounds and distorted or broken melodies made up this performance. Aside the mere trumpet, a packaging roll had been used as well as a mute had been used. An interesting experience, but stream hopping had been a slightly bad idea, because it took some time to get the proper mindset for this kind of music. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Ellwood Epps]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Canada]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Ellwood Epps]][[Date::2021-04-17]] </div> 1dab45246e5b9674d4951815f4416d89a29f7395 0 69 154 2021-07-22T15:46:13Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} 19:30 - live stream starting 20:00 - Nikita Khizha 21:00 - Sobranie 8 18 Generally speaking it is not a good idea to write a review immediately aft..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} 19:30 - live stream starting 20:00 - Nikita Khizha 21:00 - Sobranie 8 18 Generally speaking it is not a good idea to write a review immediately after a concert, but at times it is necessary to do so. Why? There are moments when you need to get something of your chest and empty your mind so to speak. While the Bandcamp live experience has been quite positive so far, with the exception of a disastrous one in December, the quality of what had been offered this evening left something open to question. Contrary to what the reviewer has viewed/experienced so far, the performance in this case was not something especially made for a potential audience from a variety of countries, but rather a gig to please a local crowd, while the Internet would be able to watch from "afar". 18:30, no joke, was the time where the stream initially started. And nothing happened. No music. Nothing. The images those of a stage on which some people were walking around, messing around with instruments but not giving any indication of the thing to come or playing music. The chat was silent. As there had been one(!) other person on the Bandcamp live stream, a small discussion arose about what this is was all about, why there was only silence and occasionally a frozen camera. It took some time to get some response from the band. Over thirty minutes(!) passed in order to get a response from the band and those in the stream were guaranteed that the show would start soon and that everyone was getting ready. The first musician: Some rather tiring piano stuff ... no interaction with the stream or the audience, just an endless barrage of music. KThxBye. At around 21:00 this was over and the next band "Sobranie 8 18" was to play soon. Another pause. Another pause with silence and a frozen camera. Then the second and last band of the evening was about to enter the stage, but there was a problem with the camera. Due to a lack of battery energy, the Bandcamp live stream would be without images. Only audio. The suggestion given in order to ameliorate this apparent flaw and lack of preparation was to head over the Instagarbage and to watch it there. Since the writer of these lines does have neither a Fecesbook or Instagarbage account, such a thing was impossible. What about the music, then? Well, it was nice. But this is not the point in terms of a live concert. The visuals, the presentation are a core aspect of it. The way an atmosphere is created, the way the band is able to perform the music on stage is of importance. Without this one facets, a vital part of the experience has been taken away and all that is left can be described as a session that happens to be a live concert somehow; similar to a live recording, with the exception that it would be possible to chat with someone from or close to the band. All in all a rather underwhelming experience. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Sobranie 8 18]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Russia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Avant-garde]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Avant-garde]][[Band::Sobranie 8 18]][[Date::2021-04-15]] </div> 893aa37a8c7a068974d9cd2a46625d009814b7f1 155 154 2021-07-22T15:46:28Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} * 19:30 - live stream starting * 20:00 - Nikita Khizha * 21:00 - Sobranie 8 18 Generally speaking it is not a good idea to write a review immediately after a concert, but at times it is necessary to do so. Why? There are moments when you need to get something of your chest and empty your mind so to speak. While the Bandcamp live experience has been quite positive so far, with the exception of a disastrous one in December, the quality of what had been offered this evening left something open to question. Contrary to what the reviewer has viewed/experienced so far, the performance in this case was not something especially made for a potential audience from a variety of countries, but rather a gig to please a local crowd, while the Internet would be able to watch from "afar". 18:30, no joke, was the time where the stream initially started. And nothing happened. No music. Nothing. The images those of a stage on which some people were walking around, messing around with instruments but not giving any indication of the thing to come or playing music. The chat was silent. As there had been one(!) other person on the Bandcamp live stream, a small discussion arose about what this is was all about, why there was only silence and occasionally a frozen camera. It took some time to get some response from the band. Over thirty minutes(!) passed in order to get a response from the band and those in the stream were guaranteed that the show would start soon and that everyone was getting ready. The first musician: Some rather tiring piano stuff ... no interaction with the stream or the audience, just an endless barrage of music. KThxBye. At around 21:00 this was over and the next band "Sobranie 8 18" was to play soon. Another pause. Another pause with silence and a frozen camera. Then the second and last band of the evening was about to enter the stage, but there was a problem with the camera. Due to a lack of battery energy, the Bandcamp live stream would be without images. Only audio. The suggestion given in order to ameliorate this apparent flaw and lack of preparation was to head over the Instagarbage and to watch it there. Since the writer of these lines does have neither a Fecesbook or Instagarbage account, such a thing was impossible. What about the music, then? Well, it was nice. But this is not the point in terms of a live concert. The visuals, the presentation are a core aspect of it. The way an atmosphere is created, the way the band is able to perform the music on stage is of importance. Without this one facets, a vital part of the experience has been taken away and all that is left can be described as a session that happens to be a live concert somehow; similar to a live recording, with the exception that it would be possible to chat with someone from or close to the band. All in all a rather underwhelming experience. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Sobranie 8 18]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Russia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Avant-garde]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Avant-garde]][[Band::Sobranie 8 18]][[Date::2021-04-15]] </div> e8e81800909dac22bd682c866fc5485e9ee74965 0 70 156 2021-07-22T15:49:44Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The thing about a live stream in the Internet is that this confronts the audience with a situation which would not happen in real life. The initial d..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The thing about a live stream in the Internet is that this confronts the audience with a situation which would not happen in real life. The initial date for the stream had been 2021-04-17. You appear on time. You wait. Nothing happens. You ask in the chat. No response. You wait even more. Sill nothing. 90 minutes later: nothing. 120 minutes later: nothing. Ridiculous. You look on the invitation of the stream and there is a different time written. Not 8PM GMT +2, but 4:00 AM AEST. No concert then? Bandcamp had announced the start at 8PM but it never happened. One complaint to the band later, a rescheduled concert one day later took place. The concert had been recorded in March 2021, which is an odd thing, because Covid-19 is still ravaging and it is a weird thing to see an actual audience without masks and without social distancing having a lot of fun; yes, the writer of these lines is not only jealous but also quite confused that such a thing was possible/wise. The video was shown and no interaction with the audience that was watching took place. Anyway, an one-hour long performance was offered and it was surprisingly really good. This came rather unexpected and it is a pity that the audience in the stream was rather small. First the band played on their own, then Allysha Joy joined them and towards the end a dancer took over the stage. Easy-going music with a lot of vibe and energy. A bit of house, soul, beats and other electronic influences. 1 bass guitar + 1 drummer + 2 keyboarder created the sound, while in the background a beamer created visual impressions. The music is dense and really grabs you. While it always takes some time to get the audience going you could clearly see that exactly that was happening towards the end of the concert. Cool music, catchy beats, good visuals ... a proper live concert should definitely be interesting. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Close Counters]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:House]][[Category:Beats]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::House]][[Genre::Beats]][[Band::Close Counters]][[Date::2021-04-17]] </div> 52c3814d0f542ba70637607e5a378fe81be003d5 0 71 157 2021-07-22T15:51:33Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} While the madness over at the Pinkman District was still unfolding, the reviewer headed over to some experimental music. Experimental in the sense th..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} While the madness over at the Pinkman District was still unfolding, the reviewer headed over to some experimental music. Experimental in the sense that it would rely on one instrument and one instrument only. No manipulation, no mix board, nothing. Just a guy and an sarod; read the Wikipedia entry if you want to know more. Anyway, Matthew Noone is from Australia, lives in Ireland and plays an Indian instrument. Awesome. A combination that is hardly commonplace and that sounds promising. He stream came with a free album. Sadly, only a handful of people attended the concert, but these were from a variety of countries: Ireland, USA, Australia and Germany. The setting was as such that he would sit in front of the camera and play some tunes. First free improvisation and later on songs from Ireland -- Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór -- and Australia. He spiced it up by interacting with the audience, which added a pleasant touch to it. Somehow it has something of a bedroom concert, even though none of the attendees would be physical present. It is a shame that so few people were there, because it had been a really fun and really enjoyable concert. The sound of the sarod added a nice sound to the music and those familiar with Indian music would have noticed that it was not played like in traditional Indian music, but rather in an interpretation or rather adaptation to the situation at hand. The style was rather like a guitar, but with a sound that is not what one would expect. This was a really pleasant experience and clearly hints on why such a stream can work and be a lot of fun. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Matthew Noone]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Matthew Noone]][[Date::2021-04-02]] </div> 7e94b89f5576eed1cf46949eefaa5a6f3ba37660 164 157 2021-07-22T16:02:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} While the madness over at the Pinkman District was still unfolding, the reviewer headed over to some experimental music. Experimental in the sense that it would rely on one instrument and one instrument only. No manipulation, no mix board, nothing. Just a guy and an sarod; read the Wikipedia entry if you want to know more. Anyway, Matthew Noone is from Australia, lives in Ireland and plays an Indian instrument. Awesome. A combination that is hardly commonplace and that sounds promising. He stream came with a free album. Sadly, only a handful of people attended the concert, but these were from a variety of countries: Ireland, USA, Australia and Germany. The setting was as such that he would sit in front of the camera and play some tunes. First free improvisation and later on songs from Ireland -- Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór -- and Australia. He spiced it up by interacting with the audience, which added a pleasant touch to it. Somehow it has something of a bedroom concert, even though none of the attendees would be physical present. It is a shame that so few people were there, because it had been a really fun and really enjoyable concert. The sound of the sarod added a nice sound to the music and those familiar with Indian music would have noticed that it was not played like in traditional Indian music, but rather in an interpretation or rather adaptation to the situation at hand. The style was rather like a guitar, but with a sound that is not what one would expect. This was a really pleasant experience and clearly hints on why such a stream can work and be a lot of fun. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Matthew Noone]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Ireland]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Matthew Noone]][[Date::2021-04-02]] </div> 74effad2d0890bfb78a0b0c65d6ba85895ddf019 0 72 158 2021-07-22T15:55:33Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~4:30h Set: * Exhausted Modern (live) 45m * Gamma Intel 1h * December (live) 45m * Lulu 1h * Univac (live) 45m As can be seen from the setl..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~4:30h Set: * Exhausted Modern (live) 45m * Gamma Intel 1h * December (live) 45m * Lulu 1h * Univac (live) 45m As can be seen from the setlist quite a lot of music is offered. Additional to that the audience, over 80 attendees -- received also a free release, which they are never ever ever to spread and which should never ever ever appear on a mix list. Pinkman would be watching ... ever. The evening took off with music that someone in the chat described as appropriate to slay goblins to. It had something of this atmosphere to it, but this would not be all. The music itself has something minimalist to it. Not the definite focus on beat pattern, but rather on atmospheric elements and somewhat charming tunes. Quite different compared to what would come later on. Gamma Intel would offer much more intensity and dynamics. Distinct rhythmic patterns, noise elements and some cool beats. It really took a while to get it all going but towards the end it was quite enjoyable. He would use the same mixer that also Lulu would rely later on. Sick and twisting beats. December would be the only dj this evening who would use a microphone and use his voice and it was surprising to experience a slight focus on industrial elements now and then. Compared with this previous act, this one was a bit calmer and less intense. The two last djs of the evening really took the cake. First the utterly energetic Lulu, of whose performance one can only say that the endless moving/dancing around should be synced with the mix board. Give her some motion sensors and let her control it all by spinning or jumping or whatnot around. That would be utterly amazing. Compared to a lot of other djs, she appeared as if she does not want to be bothered by this constant manipulation of the sound and only brought herself down to do some minuscule changes now and then. The rest of the time she was dancing around and occasionally took a sip out of a bottle. Great sick beats and cool laid-back performance. The closing performance was by Univac and the set-up of the equipment was just amazing. Oscillators on either side in the background. A lot of equipment in the front. After a slow start the audience was steamrolled by a sheer endless stream of sound and beats. What Lulu had in energy, Univac had in working on the mix board. With some additional stuff in the background, one might think that he was actually concocting some experiment, of which the music was just a by-product. The music is haunting not only due to rhythmic patterns, but also how the manipulations are like little twists and turns that keep it all quite interesting. There is so much to discover in each of the minutes. Great performance. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Gamma Intel]][[Category:December]][[Category:Lulu]][[Category:Univac]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:Techno]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::Techno]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Gamma Intel]][[Band::December]][[Band::Lulu]][[Band::Univac]][[Date::2021-04-24]] </div> ae3f88b4dd6dc8f1a6f8c6e0608348ca998f5c5b 163 158 2021-07-22T16:01:44Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~4:30h Set: * Exhausted Modern (live) 45m * Gamma Intel 1h * December (live) 45m * Lulu 1h * Univac (live) 45m As can be seen from the setlist quite a lot of music is offered. Additional to that the audience, over 80 attendees -- received also a free release, which they are never ever ever to spread and which should never ever ever appear on a mix list. Pinkman would be watching ... ever. The evening took off with music that someone in the chat described as appropriate to slay goblins to. It had something of this atmosphere to it, but this would not be all. The music itself has something minimalist to it. Not the definite focus on beat pattern, but rather on atmospheric elements and somewhat charming tunes. Quite different compared to what would come later on. Gamma Intel would offer much more intensity and dynamics. Distinct rhythmic patterns, noise elements and some cool beats. It really took a while to get it all going but towards the end it was quite enjoyable. He would use the same mixer that also Lulu would rely later on. Sick and twisting beats. December would be the only dj this evening who would use a microphone and use his voice and it was surprising to experience a slight focus on industrial elements now and then. Compared with this previous act, this one was a bit calmer and less intense. The two last djs of the evening really took the cake. First the utterly energetic Lulu, of whose performance one can only say that the endless moving/dancing around should be synced with the mix board. Give her some motion sensors and let her control it all by spinning or jumping or whatnot around. That would be utterly amazing. Compared to a lot of other djs, she appeared as if she does not want to be bothered by this constant manipulation of the sound and only brought herself down to do some minuscule changes now and then. The rest of the time she was dancing around and occasionally took a sip out of a bottle. Great sick beats and cool laid-back performance. The closing performance was by Univac and the set-up of the equipment was just amazing. Oscillators on either side in the background. A lot of equipment in the front. After a slow start the audience was steamrolled by a sheer endless stream of sound and beats. What Lulu had in energy, Univac had in working on the mix board. With some additional stuff in the background, one might think that he was actually concocting some experiment, of which the music was just a by-product. The music is haunting not only due to rhythmic patterns, but also how the manipulations are like little twists and turns that keep it all quite interesting. There is so much to discover in each of the minutes. Great performance. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Gamma Intel]][[Category:December]][[Category:Lulu]][[Category:Univac]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:Techno]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::Techno]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Gamma Intel]][[Band::December]][[Band::Lulu]][[Band::Univac]][[Date::2021-04-24]] </div> a0948a6bd52b17865f6e78abcafb3f35f0a66ddc 0 1 159 142 2021-07-22T15:56:20Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} 34b76ce99deb3b9565467b63b027169a8307394c 161 159 2021-07-22T15:58:40Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} a00399e18d7bae52b82abcdb6c38669fca623baf 165 161 2021-07-22T16:03:46Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my profile/reviews at the Metal Archives Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} be04abd6bee68b882d31a59fdf7c9233526b43af 166 165 2021-07-22T16:05:14Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews at the Metal Archives] Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 36c8da599a29376d1853bf11d4f85f7acf8e86fc 197 166 2021-07-24T15:56:35Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews at the Metal Archives] Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} f07639a921234a9d8038116ba12c0af1fe81131f 198 197 2021-07-24T15:57:15Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews at the Metal Archives] Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 1206b936fe1819fe19272130cedad42a1b339388 0 62 160 144 2021-07-22T15:57:13Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Amazing. Plain and simple. This concert can be used as a prime example on why these live streams can be fun as well. First, the performance was recorded and made available to the attendees on the following day. Second, the music was excellent. Third, there was interaction in the chat with the audience and also the visuals were great. Being rather unfamiliar with the genres of music that were provided during this session, it may be boiled down to electronic, idm, techno and stuff; samples and so on. It was a wild intense ride, which had been a trip through the catalogue of the band, with some exclusive previously unreleased tracks. The screen showed a dj that delivered a one-hour long performance that encouraged one to turn up the volume to max. Encouraged, because as it as 10pm here, and people live nearby, it would not have been a good decision to attempt to bring the house down. This is maybe the only slightly negative aspect. Would it had been a bit earlier, the issue of the volume would have been less of an issue. Anyway, the audience was not only watching someone frenetically tormenting a dj table, the images where manipulated in a wide array of forms and colours, which made the experience even more worthwhile. Controlled chaos would be one way to describe this event and this is a good thing. 9.5/10 ... easy. Should all of the performances be of this quality, then this label should be one place to go to and to support. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Enter The Chromedome]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Jensen Interceptor]][[Category:IDM]][[Category:Techno]][[Category:Electronics]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Techno]][[Genre::Electronics]][[Genre::IDM]][[Band::Enter The Chromedome]][[Band::Jensen Interceptor]][[Date::2021-04-09]] </div> 97f95a8a15f3ec7fd21310ad78eb6d6673b45828 0 73 162 2021-07-22T16:00:34Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The first concert on this day was by a label from Angola. Traditional music, then? Some stuff from local folk scene? The stuff that can be found in y..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The first concert on this day was by a label from Angola. Traditional music, then? Some stuff from local folk scene? The stuff that can be found in your local fairtrade shop? Nope. Seres Produções offer music from African countries. The stream was hosted on several platforms at the same time, with Bandcamp being one of them. Of course BC has its problems with the quality of the stream, which is not a new thing to those who have watched one or more streams. The issues became such severe that at the end the stream had to be stopped at BC and a link to the Youtube one was offered. All ran smoothly there. Go figure. Anyway, the setting had been as follows: * Deejay Alanto * Bun Xapa * DJ Satelite * Bruno G-Star * Danny Boy * Crotch Goblin Solid performances of the djs two to four. The music was rather on the easy-listening side and without extreme counterpoints and such. Catchy beats, electronics, techno stuff and well executed performances. You can clearly experience the differences in musical background and conception, which would differ to a certain degree what European djs would offer at a Bandcamp stream. The guys from African countries offer electronic beats with influences from their region. Which is cool and really enjoyable. There are samples of various type of African singers and sounds in each of the sets. This distinguishes it from other and gives it an identity. It is all a bit too nice at times, but musical preferences differ of course. What had also been great is a chat with one of the persons behind the label. All of the performances can be found at the Youtube site of the label. Each of these have a length of more than fifty minutes. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Seres Produções]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:Techno]][[Category:House]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::House]][[Genre::Techno]][[Band::Seres Produções]][[Date::2021-04-24]] </div> 55b201fddc10713473231f23c016a16fd44daa7d 0 74 167 2021-07-23T15:47:18Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Holy fuck. Alright, the music on the albums is insane and so is the live performance. Punk meets Japanese cliché in the music and somehow also the l..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Holy fuck. Alright, the music on the albums is insane and so is the live performance. Punk meets Japanese cliché in the music and somehow also the live performance of this band. Unlike a lot of other performances that can be seen on Bandcamp and on the Internet, the band decided to not play in front of a single static camera, but having one person carrying a camera and spinning around with it. As can be expected, the image is a blurred once the perspective changes from one person to another, but the advantage is an additional freedom in term of portraying the band and playing with the audience. The acting and performance of Otoboke Beaver was excellent and a lot of fun to watch. With roughly 130 persons attending the concert, judging from the information on the concert entry, the stream as also attended quite well. In terms of a location it appeared to have been a small club or bar or maybe this had been the rehearsal room of the band. The concert had a length of over an hour with two encores. And sneaky ones at that. The band ended the show and left, while the stream remained open for some time. The all of a sudden they returned to play some additional tracks. Then another vanishing and some more minutes passed again. A final short performance marked the end of the stream. Otoboke Beaver play some kind of punk, which ranges from calm and melodies to no holds barred and therefore utter insanity. This kind of music can be found on their album and it properly presented at a live concert it seems. A proper live concert must be a hell of an experience. Those four women kick ass. But in the end there are still so many questions: - were all those sake bottles at the bar empty? - when will the next concert be? - is there ever a chance to get subtitles ... not everyone speaks freaking Japanese. This finger pointing and speaking aggressively into the camera was somewhat intimidating. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Otoboke Beaver]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Punk]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Punk]][[Band::Otoboke Beaver]][[Date::2021-05-01]] </div> 32ac1f1ad5559813c424a03adc6e0b02372f251d 0 75 168 2021-07-23T15:52:27Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Bristol would be the location this time and the five musicians of Me and My Friends play music that is so annoyingly good and catchy that it makes yo..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Bristol would be the location this time and the five musicians of Me and My Friends play music that is so annoyingly good and catchy that it makes you gag. Fuck. Just when you think that a performance like the one by Otoboke Beaver would something hard to reach in the near future, it took only a few hours on the same freaking day to be confronted with these folks from the UK, who are a serious contender in this regard. God damn it. Well, the good thing about Bandcamp is that you can experience and discover music from all over the planet and support small bands directly. In this case you do not get the ordinary standard folk from UK, but something peppered with gallons of reggae and Caribbean vibes. Guitar, ukulele, bass, cello, clarinet and drums are used as instruments but these are just means to establish the basis of the atmosphere. Mics were in front of everyone of the five musicians. A lot hinges on the persons handling the instruments. If you just play the stuff without giving a damn about the audience, you might well be able to leave a lasting impression due to musical versatility, but there might be something missing. In this case it was different. A lot of interaction between the band members and towards the camera, which made it really fun to watch and to enjoy the performance. Also the band responded to the chat, something that is generally a nice thing, because it is nice to have this interaction. The best part of the stream/concert had been the overall impression that the band left. It all come over so easy and towards the end it appeared to drift off into some kind of jamming around, which was really enjoyable. A performance that lasted roughly one hour and fifteen minutes, including one encore, and was enjoyed by roughly forty attendees. Most of the cameras were placed in the middle of a colourfully decorated room and the perspectives switched from one person to another. One additional one was placed a bit over them, which gave some shots of the entire room with all the band members in there. Since I am not someone who would fancy a club or so, a lot of the electronic stuff that has impressed me recently would be rather out of the question. But if a stream would be something to spark your interest and makes you want to go to one of these band's concert, then it would be this one. Of course I would attend it with a Darkthrone, Emperor or Mayhem shirt. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Me and My Friends]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Caribbean]][[Category:Reggae]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Genre::Caribbean]][[Genre::Reggae]][[Band::Me and My Friends]][[Date::2021-04-02]] </div> 8f8a11a86efef122af8ec5d6c2c5884dce364561 170 168 2021-07-23T15:54:35Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Bristol would be the location this time and the five musicians of Me and My Friends play music that is so annoyingly good and catchy that it makes you gag. Fuck. Just when you think that a performance like the one by Otoboke Beaver would something hard to reach in the near future, it took only a few hours on the same freaking day to be confronted with these folks from the UK, who are a serious contender in this regard. God damn it. Well, the good thing about Bandcamp is that you can experience and discover music from all over the planet and support small bands directly. In this case you do not get the ordinary standard folk from UK, but something peppered with gallons of reggae and Caribbean vibes. Guitar, ukulele, bass, cello, clarinet and drums are used as instruments but these are just means to establish the basis of the atmosphere. Mics were in front of everyone of the five musicians. A lot hinges on the persons handling the instruments. If you just play the stuff without giving a damn about the audience, you might well be able to leave a lasting impression due to musical versatility, but there might be something missing. In this case it was different. A lot of interaction between the band members and towards the camera, which made it really fun to watch and to enjoy the performance. Also the band responded to the chat, something that is generally a nice thing, because it is nice to have this interaction. The best part of the stream/concert had been the overall impression that the band left. It all come over so easy and towards the end it appeared to drift off into some kind of jamming around, which was really enjoyable. A performance that lasted roughly one hour and fifteen minutes, including one encore, and was enjoyed by roughly forty attendees. Most of the cameras were placed in the middle of a colourfully decorated room and the perspectives switched from one person to another. One additional one was placed a bit over them, which gave some shots of the entire room with all the band members in there. Since I am not someone who would fancy a club or so, a lot of the electronic stuff that has impressed me recently would be rather out of the question. But if a stream would be something to spark your interest and makes you want to go to one of these band's concert, then it would be this one. Of course I would attend it with a Darkthrone, Emperor or Mayhem shirt. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Me and My Friends]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Caribbean]][[Category:Reggae]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Genre::Caribbean]][[Genre::Reggae]][[Band::Me and My Friends]][[Date::2021-05-01]] </div> d3685b31e48cae59e88940d4761e8f345e773c6e 0 76 169 2021-07-23T15:54:14Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} (live) 2021-05-06 -- Eclipse Music By Looprana Chile this time. In the "wild" this time. Al-right, it could be someone some backyard in the outskirt..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (live) 2021-05-06 -- Eclipse Music By Looprana Chile this time. In the "wild" this time. Al-right, it could be someone some backyard in the outskirts of a town, but you get the idea. Instead of watching someone perform in a cellar or in a room, there is a "wall" of green in the background. Yet it all looked to abandoned and peaceful. No birds, or insects, no movements of leaves. At some rare occasions there appeared to be something happing in the background, but it was all very minimal. It was outside, because changed a lot during the performance. At the beginning it up hight and shining on the camera, while towards the end it was hidden behing the trees. The music was a mixture between electronic beats and ethno elements. Three instruments were used * an ocarina * a flute with two bodies * a rattle The music was haunting, the beats were nice and the addition of ethno /folk elements added some nice touched in terms of the atmosphere. Proper music to wind down and to chill to. Quite good. The concert came with a release. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Looprana]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Looprana]][[Date::2021-05-06]] </div> 761d5a8852acd633eb297787f1a91c44f7868bf8 173 169 2021-07-23T16:01:15Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (live) 2021-05-06 -- Eclipse Music By Looprana Chile this time. In the "wild" this time. Al-right, it could be someone some backyard in the outskirts of a town, but you get the idea. Instead of watching someone perform in a cellar or in a room, there is a "wall" of green in the background. Yet it all looked to abandoned and peaceful. No birds, or insects, no movements of leaves. At some rare occasions there appeared to be something happing in the background, but it was all very minimal. It was outside, because changed a lot during the performance. At the beginning it up hight and shining on the camera, while towards the end it was hidden behing the trees. The music was a mixture between electronic beats and ethno elements. Three instruments were used * an ocarina * a flute with two bodies * a rattle The music was haunting, the beats were nice and the addition of ethno /folk elements added some nice touched in terms of the atmosphere. Proper music to wind down and to chill to. Quite good. The concert came with a release. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Looprana]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Chile]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Looprana]][[Date::2021-05-06]] </div> 9171bce31ff6d6cfccd7788c575d4cbe7167c7d3 0 77 171 2021-07-23T15:57:21Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The thing about live reviews is who to write about. Should one stick with the optics and the performance or should the music of the band be criticize..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The thing about live reviews is who to write about. Should one stick with the optics and the performance or should the music of the band be criticized as well? This is somewhat of importance when it comes to this band. Why? Well, the optics are great and also the live performance was fine. Not much to criticize in this regard. A video was shown in the background, in additional to the "normal" stage lightning light bulbs, modern ones that is, were placed on poles all over the stage. Once a track was over a short video was interlude wet the stage for the things to come. Effort went into making this. Such small hands is a project of Melanie Howard and she would also be the sole person to be on the stage. Vaguely illuminated, a guitar in hand, singing about this and that. Look up the genre of the band and you get a certain idea. No it is not about the art of hedgehog juggling. If you just take this and if the would be indeed be fine, then this could have been a good concert. But ... The thing with this band is the genre they play in. If you have not looked it up, do it now. Carousel, their 2020 full-length release, was play on stage in its entirety with one additional track. The thing is that the music lacks the same beef as does the Endeligt release by Nortt. The tracks are too short, the motives end abruptly and this has an effect on the music and how it is perceived. At times the music ends too soon and the tracks have this bite-size quality. If you are fine with this aspect, then this will not bother you, but other will think different. Accordingly, this live performance had been a bit of a mixed bag. Well intended, but lacking the proper ingredients to get it done. Of those eighty people that have attended it, this might be a minority opinion. Maybe they were also not bothered by the lack of proper balancing of the instruments. Yes, Mr. nit-picky is here again. The length of the concert had been nearly an hour. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Such Small Hands]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Indie Pop]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Indie Pop]][[Band::Such Small Hands]][[Date::2021-05-07]] </div> ed3ee05674cd5ee198a94b5f1aa7c09f20ac786c 0 78 172 2021-07-23T15:59:04Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The sad part of this presentation of ukulele madness was an unstable Internet connection or stream presentation. This is something also other bands s..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The sad part of this presentation of ukulele madness was an unstable Internet connection or stream presentation. This is something also other bands suffer from on Bandcamp when it comes to these live streams. From the perspective of someone who attends this concert it is not clear what is the cause of it. Is it the software of the site or is it the Internet connection? Anyway, it took away a good part of this performance, but kudos to Choan Gálvez who took it such light-hearted and was not to be discouraged by this interruptions. The setting was very minimalist. Some room and he way playing in front of a camera. He even took a sip of wine at times. Why not? Why not enjoy the performance yourself, but some grape juice; white in this instance. With an ukulele there is no necessity for a lot of space and a lot of equipment, if you just want to present this instrument and its music. Accordingly we audience was guided through a variety of either waltz or pieces especially crafted for this instrument. It really makes one appreciate it a bit more, because there is more to it, then meets the eye. A sweet concert and a charming host, who was not to be discouraged by the computer issues. Maybe one needs to be Spanish to deal with it like that. Roughly twenty people attended the stream. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Choan Gálvez]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Acoustic]][[Category:Ukulele]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Acoustic]][[Genre::Ukulele]][[Band::Choan Gálvez]][[Date::2021-05-08]] </div> 0b236fb293b63994413054a7c39ed85d85956675 174 172 2021-07-23T16:01:23Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The sad part of this presentation of ukulele madness was an unstable Internet connection or stream presentation. This is something also other bands suffer from on Bandcamp when it comes to these live streams. From the perspective of someone who attends this concert it is not clear what is the cause of it. Is it the software of the site or is it the Internet connection? Anyway, it took away a good part of this performance, but kudos to Choan Gálvez who took it such light-hearted and was not to be discouraged by this interruptions. The setting was very minimalist. Some room and he way playing in front of a camera. He even took a sip of wine at times. Why not? Why not enjoy the performance yourself, but some grape juice; white in this instance. With an ukulele there is no necessity for a lot of space and a lot of equipment, if you just want to present this instrument and its music. Accordingly we audience was guided through a variety of either waltz or pieces especially crafted for this instrument. It really makes one appreciate it a bit more, because there is more to it, then meets the eye. A sweet concert and a charming host, who was not to be discouraged by the computer issues. Maybe one needs to be Spanish to deal with it like that. Roughly twenty people attended the stream. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Choan Gálvez]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Spain]][[Category:Acoustic]][[Category:Ukulele]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Acoustic]][[Genre::Ukulele]][[Band::Choan Gálvez]][[Date::2021-05-08]] </div> 06ce4e7476701c0719c06b6b3c83dd1615f2fcc9 0 79 175 2021-07-23T16:02:15Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Played in front of a live audience with the people from the Bandcamp live stream "joining" in, the presentation had been black and white to those loo..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Played in front of a live audience with the people from the Bandcamp live stream "joining" in, the presentation had been black and white to those looking at it from afar. The stage was very minimalist and without any decor. The focus had been set on the two person that make up this band: Rie Takeuchi (baritone saxophone) and Gideon Juckes (tuba). The concert starts with an recitation of a piece by Rainer Maria Rilke. After that the music takes off and a stream of calm, sad, accentuated motives, arrangement and music is thrown towards the listener. The two instruments have a certain intensity to them, something that fills the room and is much different from what you would get from strings for instance. No percussion elements appeared as well, which bereft the motives of a clear guiding element. Somehow those sounds created the impression of waves that the listener is somewhat at the mercy at. The performance is haunting and really sucks you in. This minimalist setting and the monochrome presentation create together something special for the distant audience in the stream. Maybe this has been advantage this time, because it was possible to experience the music in a different kind of way. In a way that is hidden to most people; those would suffer from achromatopsia. The performance lasted for over one hour and thirty minutes, plus a break between the two segments that were played. Three cameras were used. One from above, with both musicians in view, and two others of which one appeared to have been of a high quality, because the quality of its images were stunning. Sadly, even though it had been a rather long live performance, it still felt too short. The calmness, the intensity of the music, the visual aspect made you long for more. And no, I was not sitting in my pyjamas and eating ice cream. Sorry to disappoint you. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:MUSIC for ISOLATION]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Classical]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Classical]][[Band::MUSIC for ISOLATION]][[Date::2021-05-08]] </div> dd91b812633da150668f9d00dfe6dd798b4a0770 0 80 176 2021-07-23T16:04:07Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The second episode of Fifi Rong would be quite different from the first one. Leaving aside the aspect that the fingernails have not been have not rec..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The second episode of Fifi Rong would be quite different from the first one. Leaving aside the aspect that the fingernails have not been have not received such a manicure, the entire setting had been changed as well. While the first instalment had been a combination of close-up shots with intense images in the background, the first setting had been flowers strands hanging from the ceiling with her singing in the middle of these. Also in this case lighting help to set the mood for her mixture of Western and Chinese music. The next setting was in front of neon tubes. A third one was similar to the flowers, but in this case red stripes of some kind of fabric was hanging from the ceiling, while she was in the "middle" of these. And you have guess correctly, the last one had been a combination of the flowers as well as the fabric. The pop music that she creates goes very well with this. Very intense, captivating and an interesting mixture of Chinese and English. Sadly no tracklist was offered along with the concert in order to listen to the original, in case any of these have been released so far. A slight downside had been the video quality on Bandcamp, which had been due to Bandcamp; 720p max. As a link to Youtube was offered, it was possible to watch the performance in 4K as well. This is rather the exception and also bypasses potential lags in the display on Bandcamp that tend to occur at times. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Fifi Rong]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:China]][[Category:Pop]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Band::Fifi Rong]][[Date::2021-05-16]] </div> 002a03bd19a06a44a221fc3f6f66c8d82eaf65cf 0 81 177 2021-07-23T16:06:27Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Two bands on one evening. Sadly pre-recorded, but the quality of it was good and some effort had been put into it. Various camera angles were provide..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Two bands on one evening. Sadly pre-recorded, but the quality of it was good and some effort had been put into it. Various camera angles were provided by which either of the bands were shown "properly". Ursular, the "r" is because the name sounds more "doom" this way, is a four-piece psychedelic doom project with a sax, strings and drums and a female vocalist; no, her name is not Ursula. A good catchy performance of their latest release, which has the music of this gig as content. The next in line was a two-person band with one playing the drums and one tormenting a bass. Less metal in style, but still good. A rather different setting and mood, but the music had its moments. A cool and funny part of the gig was a meet and greet part, which succeeded the event. After some technical difficulties that were actually never completely dealt with, both bands answered questions of the audience; via video stream and such. Not a lot of bands do this. Great to see that much effort put into this. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Yondalll]][[Category:Ursular]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Doom]][[Category:Stoner]][[Category:Psychedelic]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Doom]][[Genre::Stoner]][[Genre::Psychedelic]][[Band::Yondalll]][[Band::Ursular]][[Date::2021-05-28]] </div> 70db06504a557e3ac253c024a0c383fbdd4b4d99 178 177 2021-07-23T16:07:31Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Two bands on one evening. Sadly pre-recorded, but the quality of it was good and some effort had been put into it. Various camera angles were provided by which either of the bands were shown "properly". Ursular, the "r" is because the name sounds more "doom" this way, is a four-piece psychedelic doom project with a sax, strings and drums and a female vocalist; no, her name is not Ursula. A good catchy performance of their latest release, which has the music of this gig as content. The next in line was a two-person band with one playing the drums and one tormenting a bass. Less metal in style, but still good. A rather different setting and mood, but the music had its moments. A cool and funny part of the gig was a meet and greet part, which succeeded the event. After some technical difficulties that were actually never completely dealt with, both bands answered questions of the audience; via video stream and such. Not a lot of bands do this. Great to see that much effort put into this. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Yondalll]][[Category:Ursular]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Doom]][[Category:Stoner]][[Category:Psychedelic]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Doom]][[Genre::Stoner]][[Genre::Psychedelic]][[Band::Yondalll]][[Band::Ursular]][[Date::2021-05-28]] </div> 739e76aca7b9727a71f879cec82a016db5699b22 0 82 179 2021-07-23T16:09:05Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The second concert of Matthew Noone that I am attending and this time we had brought some extra hands ... and a dog as well. Or is the dog always the..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The second concert of Matthew Noone that I am attending and this time we had brought some extra hands ... and a dog as well. Or is the dog always there had been prohibited from attending on the previous (streaming) "gig". This time it was a sarod with some additional percussion instruments like a Bodhrán. Tommy Hayes had been in charge of this and judging from the information that you can find on him in the Internet he has played it for quite some time now. The combination of these two is actually quite splendid and the audience, far too few in numbers to be honest, was able to witness two musicians who have recorded music together and who could both rely on a vast background of sounds and styles. The setting was minimalist, but you actually do not need anything more. A really fascinating performance and more people should attend Matthew's live streams. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Matthew Noone]][[Category:Tommy Hayes]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Ireland]][[Category:Folk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Folk]][[Band::Matthew Noone]][[Band::Tommy Hayes]][[Date::2021-05-29]] </div> e2c2ae6d78b828379fedb2dc7180bef6e2827b44 0 83 180 2021-07-23T16:11:30Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Nebellang's performance was really minimalist. The play of a piano, of calm tunes, melodies and arrangements that stretch over a long period of time,..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Nebellang's performance was really minimalist. The play of a piano, of calm tunes, melodies and arrangements that stretch over a long period of time, this is what had been offered at this concert of roughly fifty minutes. While some people might have hastily launched for head-phones, I sat back on a couch and read a book. This combination was actually quite nice, because the gentle and soothing melodies worked as a contrast and helped to overshadow the slight ambience of the environment that tends to be there these days. Nebellang's music appears to be appropriate for winding down, relaxing and introspection. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Nebellang]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Band::Nebellang]][[Date::2021-05-29]] </div> f449df3ff2557101c9f30e268f6f8ef25bafb8c9 181 180 2021-07-23T16:11:50Z Adsoluser 1 Adsoluser moved page [[Live 2021-29 -- Nebellang -- I won't be home]] to [[Live 2021-05-29 -- Nebellang -- I won't be home]] without leaving a redirect wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Nebellang's performance was really minimalist. The play of a piano, of calm tunes, melodies and arrangements that stretch over a long period of time, this is what had been offered at this concert of roughly fifty minutes. While some people might have hastily launched for head-phones, I sat back on a couch and read a book. This combination was actually quite nice, because the gentle and soothing melodies worked as a contrast and helped to overshadow the slight ambience of the environment that tends to be there these days. Nebellang's music appears to be appropriate for winding down, relaxing and introspection. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Nebellang]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Band::Nebellang]][[Date::2021-05-29]] </div> f449df3ff2557101c9f30e268f6f8ef25bafb8c9 0 84 182 2021-07-23T16:15:45Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} A room. The concert or rather the live stream took place in a room. Well, this is not very uncommon, but it is worth mentioning. Yet, while this mig..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} A room. The concert or rather the live stream took place in a room. Well, this is not very uncommon, but it is worth mentioning. Yet, while this might evoke a certain type of setting, like a rehearsal room or a lounge or living room, such is actually not the case here. Rather, the band used a video that was displayed on all (!) sides of the room, except the from where the camera was pointing, because then no one would be able to see anything. The video kept changing throughout the performance and ranged from indescribable makro images over to videos done with a mobile of the environment of the outside. This type of presentation is superior to the one of a live performance, which might have the videos as well, but then on one screen only. As the visual presentation is only part of the cake, what about the rest, then? According to the Bandcamp entry the music is some kind of electronic pop mixed with some other stuff. And after a couple of minutes into the performance one thing is abundantly clear, this band is anything but conventional. Beats and noises make up a part of the music, while on top of the music the voice of Camila De Laborde hovers above it all, while the music is created by Daniel Hermann-Collini. Well, the music is rather odd, but positively so. It dares to be different and it takes the listener on quite a trip, which is appropriate because why else would there be a need for this kind of visual aspects? There is not much action or moving about by the two musicians, but there is no need for it. As the music does not demand any type of or maybe engage the listener to move about or jump about or the sort, the band delivered a minimal performance. Which was fine. All in all a great performance. Should you be able to see a live stream or a concert of them, then this band is something you might want to consider attending it. Something of this quality is not common on a Bandcamp live stream. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Camila Fuchs]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Portugal]][[Category:Electronic]][[Category:Avant-garde]][[Category:Pop]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Electronic]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Avant-garde]][[Band::Camila Fuchs]][[Date::2021-06-04]] </div> f95432949569955f68811b5dc77b28e5f15776f2 0 85 183 2021-07-23T16:17:46Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Flashbacks or references to the previous concert again. Glimpses can be grasped, but nothing more. The concerts then opens with fast cuts and fragmen..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Flashbacks or references to the previous concert again. Glimpses can be grasped, but nothing more. The concerts then opens with fast cuts and fragmented music. Hints of a voice and sounds. It eludes the immediate and hopes to prepare the stage for the intrusion of the concrete. Will the lack of a definite expression make the appreciation a more engaging and comprehensible setting increase the appreciation? A black ground and Fifi Rong in front of it, later a luminous ball makes an appearance; apparent some light on a retractable pedestal so. Sadly the music is rather conventional here and this light things is hardly able to fascinate and somewhat comical how it tends to appear after a certain sung phrase. It gets after that, though. Even though the transition over to the next part raises the hopes for some music not only with bites but also intense beats is not really fulfilled, the contrast as well as the sharpness in which one leads over to the next is definitely welcome. Stripes of cloth with cut outs that remind on Chinese characters on top of them help to set the mood. Red in colour and later further illuminated by black light, which has also an effect on the make up on Fifi Rong. This would be a reason to watch the video in 4K, because the visuals are great and the electronic beats add their share to increase the perception and atmosphere. The next track is in front of horizontal stripes that merge together behind here. Melodic pop music, less dark but more captivating. Of the last two tracks can be said that these take place in a similar setting, but appear slightly different. Opaque cloth hangs from the ceiling, while she stands in the middle of it. First with a minimal light setup and later additionally illuminated. Some kind of musical crescendo with fats cuts to earlier visuals/settings. Similar to what the previous performances offered: well crafted visuals with indie pop music. A lot of effort went into this and it is rather captivating. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Fifi Rong]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:China]][[Category:Pop]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Band::Fifi Rong]][[Date::2021-04-04]] </div> 45aa88f84a1e5e5c7db6b3ff9041bb0144ab69bd 186 183 2021-07-23T16:22:36Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Flashbacks or references to the previous concert again. Glimpses can be grasped, but nothing more. The concerts then opens with fast cuts and fragmented music. Hints of a voice and sounds. It eludes the immediate and hopes to prepare the stage for the intrusion of the concrete. Will the lack of a definite expression make the appreciation a more engaging and comprehensible setting increase the appreciation? A black ground and Fifi Rong in front of it, later a luminous ball makes an appearance; apparent some light on a retractable pedestal so. Sadly the music is rather conventional here and this light things is hardly able to fascinate and somewhat comical how it tends to appear after a certain sung phrase. It gets after that, though. Even though the transition over to the next part raises the hopes for some music not only with bites but also intense beats is not really fulfilled, the contrast as well as the sharpness in which one leads over to the next is definitely welcome. Stripes of cloth with cut outs that remind on Chinese characters on top of them help to set the mood. Red in colour and later further illuminated by black light, which has also an effect on the make up on Fifi Rong. This would be a reason to watch the video in 4K, because the visuals are great and the electronic beats add their share to increase the perception and atmosphere. The next track is in front of horizontal stripes that merge together behind here. Melodic pop music, less dark but more captivating. Of the last two tracks can be said that these take place in a similar setting, but appear slightly different. Opaque cloth hangs from the ceiling, while she stands in the middle of it. First with a minimal light setup and later additionally illuminated. Some kind of musical crescendo with fats cuts to earlier visuals/settings. Similar to what the previous performances offered: well crafted visuals with indie pop music. A lot of effort went into this and it is rather captivating. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Fifi Rong]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:China]][[Category:Pop]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Band::Fifi Rong]][[Date::2021-06-20]] </div> dc908712c949877c1432504baf4fc78915af6d94 0 86 184 2021-07-23T16:20:06Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} A weird person performing, since she is only using a/two microphone on this occasion, weird music, while being accompanied by another person, who mig..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} A weird person performing, since she is only using a/two microphone on this occasion, weird music, while being accompanied by another person, who might be weird as well, would be the bottom line of this concert. Suzana Lașcu's performance is of a sort that will not spark the interest of many people. Which is good or bad ... as is generally the case, perspective is of an issue here. The setting this time is a church and the instrumentation contains of an organ, while the rest are vocals. No noise effects, no beats, nothing. Just these two elements. In terms of the setting the music is either clear and has a narrative element, or is in contrast only a melody with a vocal expression on top of it. The latter of these dominates the concert and this is actually a good thing, because the vagueness works as a nice counterpoint to the repetitive or minimalist nature of the instrument. It is all about expression and on how to deliver it, rather than an immediate definite understanding in the mind of the listener. Vagueness demands effort into disentangling the twisted harmonious knots and its underlying conceptual basis. The concert was about "philosophical improvisation on the release of one's soul, based on Gilles Delleuze's concept of virtuality(Sic.)"[1]. It seems that the music tends to deal with some kind of literature since the release "ÉLOA", which was offered as a free release for this concert, deals with "Éloa, ou La sœur des anges" by Alfred de Vigny. While the music is not of the easy-listening type, it is rather captivating nonetheless. Suzana Lașcu has a good voice and is able to create an intense performance. It may be best to experience the music on location and not over a stream. By merely watching the show from a distance, part of the visual and audio experience is missing. The two and fro between the vocals and the instrument, the full range of the sound and part of the atmosphere are missing when it comes to a stream. Similar to the first performance the stage is illuminated in green, violet and red. Suzana Lașcu wears rather large and round sun glasses and is the main focus of a camera; another one would show Jaap van Gils playing the organ. The venue would was the Oude Kerk Charlois in Rotterdam. The concert has been uploaded on Bandcamp and can be found here: https://suzanalascu.bandcamp.com/album/loas-eskp Note: [1] https://suzanalascu.bandcamp.com/album/loas-eskp {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Suzana Lașcu]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Netherlands]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Suzana Lașcu]][[Date::2021-04-04]] </div> a4d9fb3e539694bd6273bedd4a134e7e6f123661 187 184 2021-07-23T16:22:52Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} A weird person performing, since she is only using a/two microphone on this occasion, weird music, while being accompanied by another person, who might be weird as well, would be the bottom line of this concert. Suzana Lașcu's performance is of a sort that will not spark the interest of many people. Which is good or bad ... as is generally the case, perspective is of an issue here. The setting this time is a church and the instrumentation contains of an organ, while the rest are vocals. No noise effects, no beats, nothing. Just these two elements. In terms of the setting the music is either clear and has a narrative element, or is in contrast only a melody with a vocal expression on top of it. The latter of these dominates the concert and this is actually a good thing, because the vagueness works as a nice counterpoint to the repetitive or minimalist nature of the instrument. It is all about expression and on how to deliver it, rather than an immediate definite understanding in the mind of the listener. Vagueness demands effort into disentangling the twisted harmonious knots and its underlying conceptual basis. The concert was about "philosophical improvisation on the release of one's soul, based on Gilles Delleuze's concept of virtuality(Sic.)"[1]. It seems that the music tends to deal with some kind of literature since the release "ÉLOA", which was offered as a free release for this concert, deals with "Éloa, ou La sœur des anges" by Alfred de Vigny. While the music is not of the easy-listening type, it is rather captivating nonetheless. Suzana Lașcu has a good voice and is able to create an intense performance. It may be best to experience the music on location and not over a stream. By merely watching the show from a distance, part of the visual and audio experience is missing. The two and fro between the vocals and the instrument, the full range of the sound and part of the atmosphere are missing when it comes to a stream. Similar to the first performance the stage is illuminated in green, violet and red. Suzana Lașcu wears rather large and round sun glasses and is the main focus of a camera; another one would show Jaap van Gils playing the organ. The venue would was the Oude Kerk Charlois in Rotterdam. The concert has been uploaded on Bandcamp and can be found here: https://suzanalascu.bandcamp.com/album/loas-eskp Note: [1] https://suzanalascu.bandcamp.com/album/loas-eskp {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Suzana Lașcu]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Netherlands]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Band::Suzana Lașcu]][[Date::2021-07-04]] </div> c7567ea21380697f9a13a628b374b6084aadb9c2 0 87 185 2021-07-23T16:22:20Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} You need a reason why you should listen to the band? "Born To", originally released on "The House That Jack Built" might be the best example for this..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} You need a reason why you should listen to the band? "Born To", originally released on "The House That Jack Built" might be the best example for this. Whether the sound of the version on the album "The Deconstruction of Jack’s House" is anywhere close to what this live performance offers is unbeknownst to this writer, but should it be of equal proportions in sound and style, then it will be a track to return to again and again. It is the atmosphere, the three female voices, the odd catchiness of the track that together set the pace and style and atmosphere for this performance on Bandcamp. Yes, indeed. This release celebrates a new output by Jesca Hoop and the music is a take on their other aforementioned album, but stripped down in terms of music and sound. Only thee voices, a guitar, a bass guitar, muffled drums and some additional percussion elements make an appearance. Calm. Taken back. And somehow you feel that is actually all you need. There is no necessity for more. Event though this is only a stream and one is only allowed to watch from a distance, Jesca still engages with the audience, talks to them, tells some stories, introduces the music. This is how it can be done and this is why this concert had been a lot of fun. One really felt ensnared in the web and atmosphere created by the band. The last track was a bit difference since Jesca was accompanied by someone, whose name I did not grasp, and without the other "girls" that had been thrown out. The eponymous track of "The House That Jack Built" was delivered with only a single guitar with her voice over it. Definitely charming and rather different from what the band/Jesca had provided on other albums so far. This could be a rather interesting experience in terms of a live concert. This performance took place on a lusciously decorated room and with some outré decorations. No money was deemed too much to acquire a pot of paint, to set up the separator that would help the musicians from getting too close to each other and those leafs on top of the room where arranged beautifully; one might suspect them to have appeared there naturally. All in all a great performance. Note: No, the writer of these lines did not buy the album on the day the stream took place. Whether this release lives up to the performance is difficult to say, but it is nevertheless something to look out for. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Jesca Hoop]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Minimalist]][[Category:Acoustic]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Minimalist]][[Genre::Acoustic]][[Band::Jesca Hoop]][[Date::2021-07-17]] </div> 94d4322174d6980650d509e54c1036df4534efdb 0 88 188 2021-07-24T15:15:31Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} It is in the continuity of the music that one should look for; its underlying idea. As indicated, steadiness appears to be key and finds expression i..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It is in the continuity of the music that one should look for; its underlying idea. As indicated, steadiness appears to be key and finds expression in the uttermost basic level of the music on this recording. Ripples, a chaotic but still somewhat predictable thing in all natural environments with elements of waters in it. All it takes is a slight amount of energy in order to create a sense of motion into the molecules of the liquid and the physical effect can be discovered. Shake the ground -- to put it very very simple -- and something of equal sorts can happen. Ripples are not created out of itself. There is always something or someone that can be pointed towards as having initiated them, as having provided the necessary energy. Ripples are a result and not a cause. Then how does this aspect and the music hinge together? Are those noises, those textures, those motifs an expression on how music should be seen? Is it merely a result of an impetus on an artist that has found expression through this means and into this form? As everything can be pointed towards as just that, this argument is valid but also rather meaningless. If all holds true, nothing holds true. Somehow the strangest aspect of this release are those samples that had been added on top of the basic drone/ambient texture(s). With the ideas of ripples in the back of the head, one may wonder whether these are the result or the initial element; which of these sound would impact and be the source. Hints of industrial, hints of piano fragments, hints of melodies can be found. The track "Submerged" has these for instance. And even though they are able to merge with the overall sound and direction of the music, the additional intensity of those sounds comes is something uncalled for. With a rather calm and steady atmosphere and with generally little interference from whatever kind of source, not much would be able to break the flow of the music. As such, it is odd to experience these counterpoints throughout the album. Pechblende's music is a calm kind of ambient with drone elements. It can all be summed up as a steady textures in the background, which have slightly varied and repeated motifs on top of them. All is in a flow. Most of it is nice, most of it is gentle. Accordingly, Ripples has a comparably warm atmosphere and is something that can be enjoyed without music effort. As the cover indicates, the music is rather dark and minimalist. It is reduced on a small set of elements and sounds. Music does not need much and this album is a good example for this. The performance on this release attempts to keep a balance between what can be done in this setting, but without exploring the realms of the avant-garde too much. Most of the tracks help to set the mood for relaxation and may help to calm down and to contemplate. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Pechblende]][[Category:Unknown]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Ambient]] </div> 436ddec9c739a6ca2f317231c75cc6ab6e2625a8 0 13 189 104 2021-07-24T15:40:37Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Voluptas is by no means a common name for a band, so please write a bit about the background of it and what made you take it.'''<br/> ;Štěpán: Yeah, probably because we are not a common band :). But seriously – just a few months after the band was founded (spring 2006, or thereabouts) we had a confirmed gig, so we needed a name quickly and no one had any relevant ideas. At that time I was studying for my Latin exam and I liked how the word Voluptas looked and sounded. Also the meaning seemed ok to us – we played something like crossover/alternative rock/punk at that time. Voluptas was the daughter of Eros and Psyche and the word in Latin stands for (and, in Roman mythology, personifies) pleasure, delight, satisfaction, and enjoyment.. In retrospect, I’m not sure if we would choose this name again, but it’s just something that stuck with us... After all, music is still a pleasure for us.<br/><br/> '''Why and when did you start this band? What has been the initial idea, so to speak?'''<br/> ;Štěpán and Pepa: The two of us played together in one no-name project a few years before we started Voluptas in 2006, along with our ex-singer and didgeridoo player Lukáš. We also used two songs from that time later in Voluptas. After a break of one or two years, Pepák found a capable guitarist (Jakub/Guly) and we finally started Voluptas. Each member contributed his own approach and influences, which was mostly crossover/alternative rock/HC/punk music even with “ethno” influences. It was a rather strange brew, and every song was different in style. Around 2010 or 2011, after Martin came to the band, we moved towards black and doom metal. In 2011, the vocalist Lukáš left and was replaced by Michal. In 2012, we parted ways with Jakub, after which Jan/Sup joined the band in early 2013. Since that time, the line-up has been stable and new songs started to be a bit more coherent in shape and tone (though there’s still a lot of space for improvement in terms of songwriting).<br/><br/> '''The Metal Archives does not provide much information on the band members, well aside from their names of course. Have any of them prior experiences to this band and are some even active in other projects right now?'''<br/> ;Michal: I’d been doing vocals with some black and death metal bands in Moravia before I moved to Prague, but there were no recordings to speak of. For the future, I do have some plans outside Voluptas, but nothing is officially confirmed yet.<br/> ;Martin: Although I started doing music prior to my engagement in Voluptas, it was actually my first band. Before that, we formed a project of sorts with Štěpán, but I would even hesitate to call it a project – it was merely an idea – and we basically ended before we started. The name was Xulogozothoth, I think, and we only managed to compose two funeral-ish riffs. Funny thing is that we have recently resurrected those two riffs and are going to use them for a new Voluptas song. My second band is Adonis DNA, kind of psychedelic-blackmetal-rock, something that I've started with Jan several years ago. For me, Adonis DNA is more of a musical confession than a genre-based band and it has a special place in my heart, as pathetic as it sounds. Aside from that, I have two yet-not-properly-executed projects, one being an unnamed black metal project and the other a lo-fi neofolk project. It is a shame that though the songs are composed and lyrics written, there is neither time nor people for proper execution.<br/> ;Jan: Apart from Voluptas, my most recent band is Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip. We play rather unconstrained psychedelic rock with lots of improvisation, some classical influences… and a flute! We only started last year, but things have been going pretty fast from there. Like Martin already said, the two of us also play in Adonis DNA. We like to call it “psychotic black metal”, but it’s not even meant to have any real descriptive value. ADNA is indeed more of a pampered child than a routinely functioning band at the time being, but I’m sure there’s some potential buried deep below, we just have to keep digging. I also used to record some deranged impro stuff as Věž, and lo-fi nature-inspired folk/ambient songs as Modřínový háj, but these have lain idle since I started Adonis DNA and joined Voluptas. Generally, what all my bands seem to have in common is wobbly mental health and a mild to moderate degree of eccentricity. Voluptas are no exception.<br/> ;Štěpán: Around the time we started Voluptas, I played in crust/punk band Discunt´e! We had some good songs, we rehearsed a lot and were in pretty good shape, but everything went down the drain, because we couldn’t find a singer and one of our members had some drug-related issues.<br/><br/> '''Your first and so far only release "Ved Rums Ende" points to a peculiar band from Norway: Ved Buens Ende. Could you elaborate on all things hinge together and what made you pick this reference. How can "Ved Rums Ende" be translated?'''<br/> ;Michal: For most of us, Ved Buens Ende (which stands for “At Rainbow’s End”) are a great source of inspiration. We love this band as much as we love rum (and that means a lot!), which is why we put these two things together. Ved Rums Ende is not a very serious name – it could be translated as “At Rum’s End”, and it is also a nod to the end of our “ultra-punk” era, pointing at the fact that after this record we would perhaps like to start taking the band a bit more seriously.<br/> ;Štěpán: Ved Buens Ende are an inspiration, that’s for sure – especially when it comes to disharmony and magical/surreal atmosphere. Their influence is probably most detectable in Plísně kosmické. But we certainly don’t intend to be a VBE revival or something like that, leaving aside the fact that we wouldn’t be able to do that even if we wanted to.<br/><br/> '''Would you consider playing a cover version of one of their tracks? If so, which one would you pick?'''<br/> ;Martin: I would pick I Sang for the Swans – mainly because it’s my most favourite track - but the problem is that Ved Buens Ende did something that is very hard to imitate, at least for us. It would be almost impossible to redo drums for example, but guitars are also quite difficult at some places. We could do some adaptation or something of course, but I think their songs are better the way they are :)<br/> ;Štěpán: It´s hard to choose only one track, because almost everything from them is brilliant, but probably I would pick A Mask in the Mirror (maybe it’s strange, but I prefer little more their demo instead of full length). In that others I agree with Martin. We are not yet able to do it with dignity. But one day...!<br/> ;Jan: Covering such a unique and original band would require some serious creative input. Playing a VBE cover note for note just doesn’t make sense. And like Martin and Štěpán said, I think we have to walk a few more miles before we can just bang our fists on the table and say “Alright, let’s cover VBE/Arcturus/Ulver/Dodheimsgard” and do all the work that it takes with, well, dignity.<br/><br/> '''How does the artwork of your release fit into this? Who had been responsible for it?'''<br/> Michal: The author of the artwork is Jan’s uncle and he had almost complete creative freedom, we only gave him a couple of keywords related to some themes and motifs that we wanted to incorporate. And we have to say he’s done an excellent job. If you have a closer look at the artwork, you can find some of our songs in it. The most striking one is probably Golgotha, but there is also the mildewed moon (Plísně kosmické, which stands for The Moulds from Outer Space), Evil and Forests (Zlo a lesy), and, as an easily detectable Easter egg, there’s also a rum bottle. The inside of the CD case has not been published yet, but on the physical copy, there will also be some Twin Peaks allusions, etc.<br/><br/> '''Judging from the fact that the bandcamp entry has the lyrics available in English it would be safe to say that the band also uses these texts, but why are the track titles in Czech, then? And why no lyrics in Czech?'''<br/> ;Martin: The thing is that lyrics are always written by me and titles are always Štěpán's ideas. Many of our songs had no lyrics at all before I came into the band and those that we composed after my arrival (which, therefore, had lyrics from the beginning) were also named by Štěpán. Some titles are actually puns: “Plísně Kosmické” for example is a play on “Písně Kosmické”, which is a name of a book of poetry by Czech poet Jan Neruda (“Písně kosmické” translates as “The Songs from Outer Space” whereas our title means “The Moulds from Outer Space” – the Lovecraftian motif is more than obvious, hehe). <br/>The main reason why we've chosen English over our native language is that Czech would just sound a bit silly. It has a different dynamics. English is generally more suitable for this kind of music, I think.<br/> ;Jan: The thing is there’s this enormous bulk of international English lyrics which has generated over time a sort of “twilight zone” of wishy-washy conventional phrases, where you can hide with mediocre-to-crappy lyrics and be more or less well shielded from the critics, unless one of them cares to look at the words really closely. If your Czech lyrics are no good, especially in a genre like black metal, they somehow tend to stick out a bit more, even to less demanding ears. The specific dynamics of the language plays a role, of course. But also convention/tradition. As for Voluptas, most of us have a background in English that goes well beyond grappling with basic grammar and knowing there once was a guy named Dickens. Some of us use the language every day, admire the literature, etc. (not only Lovecraft), so I don’t think we (Martin) chose English merely as a soft option. While it may be easier to hide in the shadows, it is quite challenging to produce above-average lyrics in a language other than our mother tongue, but generally I believe it can be done, as long as you’re good enough to pull it off. I’m by no means saying that’s our case, though – dog forbid! :))<br/><br/> '''What do your lyrics deal with? Do these follow in line with what is common in the black metal scene?'''<br/> ;Martin: Every theme is different and I have no intention concerning continuity neither with myself nor with some kind of scene or genre. To paint a picture: Catastrophe is about natural disasters and the nature of mankind, Podzimní (Autumn Song) plays with pagan imagery, Leland is obviously a theme from Twin Peaks... And the most recent thing, Plísně kosmické (The Moulds from Outer Space), is actually a rearranged poem I wrote some time before the creation of the song itself, and it is about one very bad night I had. Last but not least, Zlo a lesy (Evil and Forests) is a song about falling face down on the ground shitfaced – one of our deepest lyrics for sure.<br/><br/> '''Speaking about black metal, how would you describe your music? What are its core essences?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: There is no single core essence. Our older songs (Podzimní, Catastrophe) were mostly rooted in dark hardcore, crust, emocore/screamo and doom/sludge/post-metal (Golgotha), while our newer songs mostly build on black and doom metal, but we still play it in a somewhat punky manner. The reason is partly the simple fact that we can’t play it any better, but on the other hand, we kinda like it that way!<br/><br/> '''What bands have and still play a role in terms of influences?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: In newer songs it’s VBE/Virus/DHG, Oranssi Pazuzu, Bohren & der Club of Gore (Plísně). In older songs it would be Angelo Badalamenti (Leland), Carpathian Forest, Agalloch, Darkthrone (Zlo a lesy), Celtic Frost, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard (Lože vyvrhelovo), Sólstafir, Lvmen, Madame Germen (Golgotha, Podzimní), Hellshock (Catastrophe). Maybe old Opeth in terms of mood. Some people have told us they can hear the influence of Master’s Hammer in our music; that also makes sense. ;Jan: Also definitely Comus in terms of atmosphere, though it may not be so evident in Voluptas. And of course Ulver – as a distant beacon.<br/> '''The opener breaks with the flow of the album or is it the other way around? It is difficult to say, but it is strange to experience such a furious opening and then a certain avoidance to follow it. How does the opener and the rest fit together?'''<br/> ;Michal: Most tracks on the album are pretty old. Plísně kosmické is by far the newest song we’ve created (at least it was at the time of recording). This is why we decided to display it in the shop-window, so to speak, with the rest of the songs following as a sort of a trip into the band’s history. <br/> :Štěpán: That’s true. There are actually great temporal gaps between the individual songs. We are far from your idea of a well-functioning band – it’s pretty common for us that we don’t see each other for a few months, during which we have no rehearsals and no songwriting is taking place. We were an active band barely for a half of the official 10 years of our recorded existence. Our oldest song is Podzimní (2007–8), then Catastrophe (2010–11) and Golgotha (2010–11), followed by Leland (2011).<br/> ;Jan: Even as somebody who joined the band late, I can definitely sense that there’s been a change in songwriting, with Plísně kosmické being the landmark. I have to say that some of the older songs are actually really well written (e.g. Leland), but as a larger whole they are quite disparate. With Plísně kosmické and the new songs we’re working on now, things are finally starting to settle for something more coherent.<br/><br/> '''How do the elements in your compositions fall into place? How do you approach the song-writing aspect as well as maintaining a certain consistency in terms of style, sound and concept? Is this something the entire band is involved in?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: Podzimní was composed mostly by me, Catastrophe and Golgotha by me and our ex-guitarist Jakub/Guly. The rest, the newer songs, are mostly Martin’s job. We’re talking about the composition of the song’s core, of course – every member then plays around with their part or makes it up completely, as long as the rest agrees (or doesn’t protest too much).<br/> ;Martin: As for composition, it’s almost the same every time – I come to rehearsal with some basic draft, we do some brainstorming and frequently change things like order of different sequences etc. Others create their parts on the go – often someone brings a new riff that is added into the song etc. Since Jan is a far more talented and trained guitarist than I am, he is responsible for solos and melodic ideas. Pepa can come up with rich, layered drum patterns and he adds some uniqueness to our songs, because he is not exactly a typical metal drummer. It is important to say that we sound the way we do mostly due to Štěpán’s distinctive way of composing bass lines – they are frequently melodic lines rather than typical groovy bass lines. Last but not least, there is Michal who also creates his vocal lines. For the first two or three songs, I actually recorded my own version of vocals for him to learn, because we thought that I am able to do the right flow since I wrote the lyrics, but time has revealed that Michal does the job better than me, so it’s all up to him now.<br/><br/> '''While there is certainly metal in the tracks, this aspect is not put up front, but rather merged among other influences. Well, how does your band fit into the broader (black) metal spectrum? What does your local scene look like?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: People with whom we are in touch are actually mostly from the local DIY HC/punk scene, although most of them also have metal bands. We can drop a couple of names of some young bands: The Tower (traditional doom/heavy) and Black Aspirin (crust/sludge/death) from Prague and Self-hatred (funeral doom/black) from Pilsen. Also worth mentioning are Plague Porter (avantgarde black), and then there are of course Master’s Hammer, but they reached kvlt status long before Voluptas was even born. From non-metal Czech bands, we love madebythefire (math/prog/post-rock) from Pilsen – they are really great. ;Jan: Some more great Czech bands, both young and not-so-young, are Zkouška sirén and Argonaut (off-the-hook stoner), Ubožák (delirious post-rock/metal) and Permon Balet Superstar (one-of-a-kind math rock-ish band).<br/><br/> '''Currently your music is only available digitally, but there are plans to spread it on CD or so as well. Can you name a definite date?'''<br/> ;Michal: The CDs have already been printed, we are just waiting for the cover. It will be a DIY cardboard package, and I think it will be quite a treat. We’ve got 100 copies and there will be a release party at our gig with Alkerdeel on 30th October in Prague. https://www.facebook.com/events/946599172133693/ <br/> We are releasing the CD ourselves and we will also take care of all distribution, there’s no label involved. So if you want a copy, just drop us a line and we will be happy to ship it to wherever you are. In the future, we would like to have a vinyl, too – maybe not of Ved Rums Ende, but some other future record. But it will also depend on how the CDs will sell.<br/><br/> '''Could you write a bit about your experiences on stage? Do you only stick to you music or play cover versions as well? How does the music differ from your album stuff once you are on stage?'''<br/> ;Michal: We drink a lot of rum and we fuck up bigtime! We love playing live, even though we don’t do it that often. But there’s no special message in our live shows and we don’t have any special image either. We played a cover of one Norwegian blackmetal band a few times, but otherwise we don’t usually play or even attempt covers.<br/> ;Štěpán: Rum is very important for our gigs, we usually have at least one bottle on stage. Very soon we found out that we actually play better when we drink rum than when we’re sober, but the problem is, of course, to find good measure – it’s a real tightrope.<br/><br/> '''How and where can someone get/find/buy your music?'''<br/> ;Michal: You can download it on bandcamp and, like I said, we will soon have CDs. That will be announced also on bandcamp, as well as on our facebook page. <br/><br/> '''What would be your plans with the band for the future?'''<br/> ;Michal: On 30th October we play with Alkerdeel in Prague and we decided to turn this occasion into a release party for Ved Rums Ende. At the moment we are working on three new songs, and we will play one of them live on the 30th. It is mostly black and doom metal with some other influences – and hopefully also at least a microinjection of DHG-like insanity. Other than that, we just hope to come up with some new songs, play live every now and then, and not to kill ourselves with the rum.<br/><br/> '''Closing comments if you like.'''<br/> All: Thanks for your interest in our lousy crew. This interview has been a fuzzy and heart-warming experience, which is very welcome in this cold realm of mould, forests and evil that we usually inhabit. Godspeed y’all! {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]] </div> a9a0f6f91ff6215464ce9f676211971b857abf03 190 189 2021-07-24T15:41:13Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Voluptas is by no means a common name for a band, so please write a bit about the background of it and what made you take it.'''<br/> ;Štěpán: Yeah, probably because we are not a common band :). But seriously – just a few months after the band was founded (spring 2006, or thereabouts) we had a confirmed gig, so we needed a name quickly and no one had any relevant ideas. At that time I was studying for my Latin exam and I liked how the word Voluptas looked and sounded. Also the meaning seemed ok to us – we played something like crossover/alternative rock/punk at that time. Voluptas was the daughter of Eros and Psyche and the word in Latin stands for (and, in Roman mythology, personifies) pleasure, delight, satisfaction, and enjoyment.. In retrospect, I’m not sure if we would choose this name again, but it’s just something that stuck with us... After all, music is still a pleasure for us.<br/><br/> '''Why and when did you start this band? What has been the initial idea, so to speak?'''<br/> ;Štěpán and Pepa: The two of us played together in one no-name project a few years before we started Voluptas in 2006, along with our ex-singer and didgeridoo player Lukáš. We also used two songs from that time later in Voluptas. After a break of one or two years, Pepák found a capable guitarist (Jakub/Guly) and we finally started Voluptas. Each member contributed his own approach and influences, which was mostly crossover/alternative rock/HC/punk music even with “ethno” influences. It was a rather strange brew, and every song was different in style. Around 2010 or 2011, after Martin came to the band, we moved towards black and doom metal. In 2011, the vocalist Lukáš left and was replaced by Michal. In 2012, we parted ways with Jakub, after which Jan/Sup joined the band in early 2013. Since that time, the line-up has been stable and new songs started to be a bit more coherent in shape and tone (though there’s still a lot of space for improvement in terms of songwriting).<br/><br/> '''The Metal Archives does not provide much information on the band members, well aside from their names of course. Have any of them prior experiences to this band and are some even active in other projects right now?'''<br/> ;Michal: I’d been doing vocals with some black and death metal bands in Moravia before I moved to Prague, but there were no recordings to speak of. For the future, I do have some plans outside Voluptas, but nothing is officially confirmed yet.<br/> ;Martin: Although I started doing music prior to my engagement in Voluptas, it was actually my first band. Before that, we formed a project of sorts with Štěpán, but I would even hesitate to call it a project – it was merely an idea – and we basically ended before we started. The name was Xulogozothoth, I think, and we only managed to compose two funeral-ish riffs. Funny thing is that we have recently resurrected those two riffs and are going to use them for a new Voluptas song. My second band is Adonis DNA, kind of psychedelic-blackmetal-rock, something that I've started with Jan several years ago. For me, Adonis DNA is more of a musical confession than a genre-based band and it has a special place in my heart, as pathetic as it sounds. Aside from that, I have two yet-not-properly-executed projects, one being an unnamed black metal project and the other a lo-fi neofolk project. It is a shame that though the songs are composed and lyrics written, there is neither time nor people for proper execution.<br/> ;Jan: Apart from Voluptas, my most recent band is Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip. We play rather unconstrained psychedelic rock with lots of improvisation, some classical influences… and a flute! We only started last year, but things have been going pretty fast from there. Like Martin already said, the two of us also play in Adonis DNA. We like to call it “psychotic black metal”, but it’s not even meant to have any real descriptive value. ADNA is indeed more of a pampered child than a routinely functioning band at the time being, but I’m sure there’s some potential buried deep below, we just have to keep digging. I also used to record some deranged impro stuff as Věž, and lo-fi nature-inspired folk/ambient songs as Modřínový háj, but these have lain idle since I started Adonis DNA and joined Voluptas. Generally, what all my bands seem to have in common is wobbly mental health and a mild to moderate degree of eccentricity. Voluptas are no exception.<br/> ;Štěpán: Around the time we started Voluptas, I played in crust/punk band Discunt´e! We had some good songs, we rehearsed a lot and were in pretty good shape, but everything went down the drain, because we couldn’t find a singer and one of our members had some drug-related issues.<br/><br/> '''Your first and so far only release "Ved Rums Ende" points to a peculiar band from Norway: Ved Buens Ende. Could you elaborate on all things hinge together and what made you pick this reference. How can "Ved Rums Ende" be translated?'''<br/> ;Michal: For most of us, Ved Buens Ende (which stands for “At Rainbow’s End”) are a great source of inspiration. We love this band as much as we love rum (and that means a lot!), which is why we put these two things together. Ved Rums Ende is not a very serious name – it could be translated as “At Rum’s End”, and it is also a nod to the end of our “ultra-punk” era, pointing at the fact that after this record we would perhaps like to start taking the band a bit more seriously.<br/> ;Štěpán: Ved Buens Ende are an inspiration, that’s for sure – especially when it comes to disharmony and magical/surreal atmosphere. Their influence is probably most detectable in Plísně kosmické. But we certainly don’t intend to be a VBE revival or something like that, leaving aside the fact that we wouldn’t be able to do that even if we wanted to.<br/><br/> '''Would you consider playing a cover version of one of their tracks? If so, which one would you pick?'''<br/> ;Martin: I would pick I Sang for the Swans – mainly because it’s my most favourite track - but the problem is that Ved Buens Ende did something that is very hard to imitate, at least for us. It would be almost impossible to redo drums for example, but guitars are also quite difficult at some places. We could do some adaptation or something of course, but I think their songs are better the way they are :)<br/> ;Štěpán: It´s hard to choose only one track, because almost everything from them is brilliant, but probably I would pick A Mask in the Mirror (maybe it’s strange, but I prefer little more their demo instead of full length). In that others I agree with Martin. We are not yet able to do it with dignity. But one day...!<br/> ;Jan: Covering such a unique and original band would require some serious creative input. Playing a VBE cover note for note just doesn’t make sense. And like Martin and Štěpán said, I think we have to walk a few more miles before we can just bang our fists on the table and say “Alright, let’s cover VBE/Arcturus/Ulver/Dodheimsgard” and do all the work that it takes with, well, dignity.<br/><br/> '''How does the artwork of your release fit into this? Who had been responsible for it?'''<br/> Michal: The author of the artwork is Jan’s uncle and he had almost complete creative freedom, we only gave him a couple of keywords related to some themes and motifs that we wanted to incorporate. And we have to say he’s done an excellent job. If you have a closer look at the artwork, you can find some of our songs in it. The most striking one is probably Golgotha, but there is also the mildewed moon (Plísně kosmické, which stands for The Moulds from Outer Space), Evil and Forests (Zlo a lesy), and, as an easily detectable Easter egg, there’s also a rum bottle. The inside of the CD case has not been published yet, but on the physical copy, there will also be some Twin Peaks allusions, etc.<br/><br/> '''Judging from the fact that the bandcamp entry has the lyrics available in English it would be safe to say that the band also uses these texts, but why are the track titles in Czech, then? And why no lyrics in Czech?'''<br/> ;Martin: The thing is that lyrics are always written by me and titles are always Štěpán's ideas. Many of our songs had no lyrics at all before I came into the band and those that we composed after my arrival (which, therefore, had lyrics from the beginning) were also named by Štěpán. Some titles are actually puns: “Plísně Kosmické” for example is a play on “Písně Kosmické”, which is a name of a book of poetry by Czech poet Jan Neruda (“Písně kosmické” translates as “The Songs from Outer Space” whereas our title means “The Moulds from Outer Space” – the Lovecraftian motif is more than obvious, hehe). <br/>The main reason why we've chosen English over our native language is that Czech would just sound a bit silly. It has a different dynamics. English is generally more suitable for this kind of music, I think.<br/> ;Jan: The thing is there’s this enormous bulk of international English lyrics which has generated over time a sort of “twilight zone” of wishy-washy conventional phrases, where you can hide with mediocre-to-crappy lyrics and be more or less well shielded from the critics, unless one of them cares to look at the words really closely. If your Czech lyrics are no good, especially in a genre like black metal, they somehow tend to stick out a bit more, even to less demanding ears. The specific dynamics of the language plays a role, of course. But also convention/tradition. As for Voluptas, most of us have a background in English that goes well beyond grappling with basic grammar and knowing there once was a guy named Dickens. Some of us use the language every day, admire the literature, etc. (not only Lovecraft), so I don’t think we (Martin) chose English merely as a soft option. While it may be easier to hide in the shadows, it is quite challenging to produce above-average lyrics in a language other than our mother tongue, but generally I believe it can be done, as long as you’re good enough to pull it off. I’m by no means saying that’s our case, though – dog forbid! :))<br/><br/> '''What do your lyrics deal with? Do these follow in line with what is common in the black metal scene?'''<br/> ;Martin: Every theme is different and I have no intention concerning continuity neither with myself nor with some kind of scene or genre. To paint a picture: Catastrophe is about natural disasters and the nature of mankind, Podzimní (Autumn Song) plays with pagan imagery, Leland is obviously a theme from Twin Peaks... And the most recent thing, Plísně kosmické (The Moulds from Outer Space), is actually a rearranged poem I wrote some time before the creation of the song itself, and it is about one very bad night I had. Last but not least, Zlo a lesy (Evil and Forests) is a song about falling face down on the ground shitfaced – one of our deepest lyrics for sure.<br/><br/> '''Speaking about black metal, how would you describe your music? What are its core essences?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: There is no single core essence. Our older songs (Podzimní, Catastrophe) were mostly rooted in dark hardcore, crust, emocore/screamo and doom/sludge/post-metal (Golgotha), while our newer songs mostly build on black and doom metal, but we still play it in a somewhat punky manner. The reason is partly the simple fact that we can’t play it any better, but on the other hand, we kinda like it that way!<br/><br/> '''What bands have and still play a role in terms of influences?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: In newer songs it’s VBE/Virus/DHG, Oranssi Pazuzu, Bohren & der Club of Gore (Plísně). In older songs it would be Angelo Badalamenti (Leland), Carpathian Forest, Agalloch, Darkthrone (Zlo a lesy), Celtic Frost, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard (Lože vyvrhelovo), Sólstafir, Lvmen, Madame Germen (Golgotha, Podzimní), Hellshock (Catastrophe). Maybe old Opeth in terms of mood. Some people have told us they can hear the influence of Master’s Hammer in our music; that also makes sense. ;Jan: Also definitely Comus in terms of atmosphere, though it may not be so evident in Voluptas. And of course Ulver – as a distant beacon.<br/> '''The opener breaks with the flow of the album or is it the other way around? It is difficult to say, but it is strange to experience such a furious opening and then a certain avoidance to follow it. How does the opener and the rest fit together?'''<br/> ;Michal: Most tracks on the album are pretty old. Plísně kosmické is by far the newest song we’ve created (at least it was at the time of recording). This is why we decided to display it in the shop-window, so to speak, with the rest of the songs following as a sort of a trip into the band’s history. <br/> :Štěpán: That’s true. There are actually great temporal gaps between the individual songs. We are far from your idea of a well-functioning band – it’s pretty common for us that we don’t see each other for a few months, during which we have no rehearsals and no songwriting is taking place. We were an active band barely for a half of the official 10 years of our recorded existence. Our oldest song is Podzimní (2007–8), then Catastrophe (2010–11) and Golgotha (2010–11), followed by Leland (2011).<br/> ;Jan: Even as somebody who joined the band late, I can definitely sense that there’s been a change in songwriting, with Plísně kosmické being the landmark. I have to say that some of the older songs are actually really well written (e.g. Leland), but as a larger whole they are quite disparate. With Plísně kosmické and the new songs we’re working on now, things are finally starting to settle for something more coherent.<br/><br/> '''How do the elements in your compositions fall into place? How do you approach the song-writing aspect as well as maintaining a certain consistency in terms of style, sound and concept? Is this something the entire band is involved in?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: Podzimní was composed mostly by me, Catastrophe and Golgotha by me and our ex-guitarist Jakub/Guly. The rest, the newer songs, are mostly Martin’s job. We’re talking about the composition of the song’s core, of course – every member then plays around with their part or makes it up completely, as long as the rest agrees (or doesn’t protest too much).<br/> ;Martin: As for composition, it’s almost the same every time – I come to rehearsal with some basic draft, we do some brainstorming and frequently change things like order of different sequences etc. Others create their parts on the go – often someone brings a new riff that is added into the song etc. Since Jan is a far more talented and trained guitarist than I am, he is responsible for solos and melodic ideas. Pepa can come up with rich, layered drum patterns and he adds some uniqueness to our songs, because he is not exactly a typical metal drummer. It is important to say that we sound the way we do mostly due to Štěpán’s distinctive way of composing bass lines – they are frequently melodic lines rather than typical groovy bass lines. Last but not least, there is Michal who also creates his vocal lines. For the first two or three songs, I actually recorded my own version of vocals for him to learn, because we thought that I am able to do the right flow since I wrote the lyrics, but time has revealed that Michal does the job better than me, so it’s all up to him now.<br/><br/> '''While there is certainly metal in the tracks, this aspect is not put up front, but rather merged among other influences. Well, how does your band fit into the broader (black) metal spectrum? What does your local scene look like?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: People with whom we are in touch are actually mostly from the local DIY HC/punk scene, although most of them also have metal bands. We can drop a couple of names of some young bands: The Tower (traditional doom/heavy) and Black Aspirin (crust/sludge/death) from Prague and Self-hatred (funeral doom/black) from Pilsen. Also worth mentioning are Plague Porter (avantgarde black), and then there are of course Master’s Hammer, but they reached kvlt status long before Voluptas was even born. From non-metal Czech bands, we love madebythefire (math/prog/post-rock) from Pilsen – they are really great. ;Jan: Some more great Czech bands, both young and not-so-young, are Zkouška sirén and Argonaut (off-the-hook stoner), Ubožák (delirious post-rock/metal) and Permon Balet Superstar (one-of-a-kind math rock-ish band).<br/><br/> '''Currently your music is only available digitally, but there are plans to spread it on CD or so as well. Can you name a definite date?'''<br/> ;Michal: The CDs have already been printed, we are just waiting for the cover. It will be a DIY cardboard package, and I think it will be quite a treat. We’ve got 100 copies and there will be a release party at our gig with Alkerdeel on 30th October in Prague. https://www.facebook.com/events/946599172133693/ <br/> We are releasing the CD ourselves and we will also take care of all distribution, there’s no label involved. So if you want a copy, just drop us a line and we will be happy to ship it to wherever you are. In the future, we would like to have a vinyl, too – maybe not of Ved Rums Ende, but some other future record. But it will also depend on how the CDs will sell.<br/><br/> '''Could you write a bit about your experiences on stage? Do you only stick to you music or play cover versions as well? How does the music differ from your album stuff once you are on stage?'''<br/> ;Michal: We drink a lot of rum and we fuck up bigtime! We love playing live, even though we don’t do it that often. But there’s no special message in our live shows and we don’t have any special image either. We played a cover of one Norwegian blackmetal band a few times, but otherwise we don’t usually play or even attempt covers.<br/> ;Štěpán: Rum is very important for our gigs, we usually have at least one bottle on stage. Very soon we found out that we actually play better when we drink rum than when we’re sober, but the problem is, of course, to find good measure – it’s a real tightrope.<br/><br/> '''How and where can someone get/find/buy your music?'''<br/> ;Michal: You can download it on bandcamp and, like I said, we will soon have CDs. That will be announced also on bandcamp, as well as on our facebook page. <br/><br/> '''What would be your plans with the band for the future?'''<br/> ;Michal: On 30th October we play with Alkerdeel in Prague and we decided to turn this occasion into a release party for Ved Rums Ende. At the moment we are working on three new songs, and we will play one of them live on the 30th. It is mostly black and doom metal with some other influences – and hopefully also at least a microinjection of DHG-like insanity. Other than that, we just hope to come up with some new songs, play live every now and then, and not to kill ourselves with the rum.<br/><br/> '''Closing comments if you like.'''<br/> All: Thanks for your interest in our lousy crew. This interview has been a fuzzy and heart-warming experience, which is very welcome in this cold realm of mould, forests and evil that we usually inhabit. Godspeed y’all! {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2016]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2016]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> f9558451766a50f0243e3ec0b286f4ffb9251b48 191 190 2021-07-24T15:41:57Z Adsoluser 1 Undo revision 189 by [[Special:Contributions/Adsoluser|Adsoluser]] ([[User talk:Adsoluser|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2016]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2016]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> 4023104c343a6cb76e994aa95a9d1a668c7eabd4 193 191 2021-07-24T15:42:54Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Would you mind to introduce you and your band a bit?''' Michal: Voluptas is a relatively old band which went through a lot of line-up changes which impacted the sound of our music a lot. We spoke about our history during our previous interview, so let’s not repeat ourselves too much. But I can say the line-up has been relatively stable since the release of our debut recording Ved Rums Ende. We just got a new drummer – Petr. This also means our music became closer to a form we want to focus on and is less disordered. We like to say we play black metal with some eccentric rock elements. But you can probably hear some psychedelia, jazz or even noise elements in our music. All the band members have been more or less active in other projects as well. From the currently active ones we can name for example Jan's participation in the psychedelic band Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip or my new death metal band Můra and experimental grindcore project Brauncholda. '''Why do you play this particular kind of music?''' Michal: Because we like it, of course. And since all the members are interested in similar kinds of music more than just average listeners, we try to create something that corresponds to our taste. Something at least partially original and not yet another copy of a copy. A need to compose music based on a musician's expectations is quite natural, I would say. None of us would play something they don't like. And the time spent in the rehearsal room with a fridge filled with beer or on stage is mostly satisfying and fun, even though it can be difficult sometimes. Martin: As a listener I don’t have any substantial genre preference, I love ABBA the same as old Anaal Nathrakh, but as a musician I think black metal is my bread and butter. When I joined Voluptas, they sounded quite different and I liked that, but Štěpán and I were interested in something perhaps darker or more extreme. As other members came and went, this interest was becoming more pronounced. We ended up doing something that is actually pretty close to the music I wanted to create since I was a teenager who loved more experimental (predominantly Norwegian) bands like Solefald, DHG or Ved Buens Ende. '''Since four years have passed between your first two releases, what has been the most challenging aspect in this regard?''' Martin: The first record was something that needed to happen. It was far from perfect and each song is almost a different genre… I think that when you hear the record you can tell we were searching for something that would unify us. I view it more as a compilation than an album. The current record is much more compact, one of the reasons might’ve been that these are songs we composed over a shorter period. We also got a new drummer, Petr, who helped to stabilize our style as well. I think we are gradually becoming surer about what we want to do. In summary, these four years were about stabilization. We never were a punk band, but our approach used to be pretty punk in the past. '''Considering how elements from Egyptian as well as Hellenic elements are dealt with on your recent release, it may be interesting to know how you perceive these aspects, what modern relevance you attribute to these and what your source for these are? Do you have books that inspire you in this regard?''' Martin: There is not much to say, we simply use mythology to express what we want, as a medium. The relevance of the past is overwhelming, because people are still the same animals they were three thousand years ago. Human things are, at their core, very simple and you need to cover your statements in metaphors and names to add some artistic value to them – and, what is more, leave readers/listeners a certain encyclopedia to play around with. The question of why we prefer certain mythologies over others has to do more with our own upbringing and education. To use some parts of mythology or history to convey feelings in art is pretty common, and it is both effective and easy. But that doesn’t mean we create art, I wouldn’t dare to put our stuff in the same bracket as Parsifal by Wagner or Prometheus by Emperor, hehe… it belongs in the same bracket as John Wayne Gacy’s pictures of clowns. '''What is the initial when it comes to compose a track. Is it an idea that is expressed in a sound or is it a riff? How is the song-writing shared in the band?''' Martin: The process used to be pretty chaotic, but it has stabilized substantially. I usually bring the basics – a lo-fi recording of my guitar, sometimes just some riffs to play with, sometimes the whole structure of the song. We dissect it at rehearsals and create the basic structure with drums. Then everyone else composes their own parts. Lyrics are written after everything else is done to the point when the song has some feeling. '''Desert Twilight offers a strange way in terms of ending a release. The white noise like aspect is something of a stark counterpoint to what had been presented earlier. Could you elaborate on the function and conception behind this track? Is the aspect of white noise a play on the title of the release?''' Michal: Let's say we wanted to experiment a bit with something else than metal/rock elements this time and create an adequate ending for our record. Our sax player Ondrax, when present at rehearsals, likes to play with these weird sounds and we like it a lot. So, we (Ondrax and I) locked ourselves in the studio and recorded a semi-improvised track which combines saxophone lines, vocals and a bit of magical effects. All the band members have been very satisfied with the result, since its feeling perfectly matches the rest of the record (we believe that noise aesthetics works in a similar way as black metal) and, as you said, also represents the title of the release. A sound of snowstorm which is not just ordinary harsh noise but in which you can find, if you tune in, a lot of other sounds that could hopefully remind you of various things. We prefer not to divulge and dissect all the inspirations reflected in this track but a careful listener will surely be able to track some down. '''It may be too far-fetched, but the title of the release also reminded me on Witcher 3 and the aspect of the White Frost. Did this have an impact on you by chance?''' Martin: The title is taken from lyrics of Between Terror and Erebus, so it should remind you mainly of that, haha. I didn’t play or read Witcher and I am not exactly familiar with that universe, so I guess the resemblance is just a mere accident… but then again, everybody is entitled to their interpretation so if you see The Witcher in it, it is there! Štěpán: I quite like that White Frost interpretation because I was (and I still am) a big fan of Sapkowski's books from the 90s, but I never played any of the Witcher games and like Martin who wrote the lyrics said, it's just a coincidence. '''Why did you pick Thargelia as a track title? Judging from the Wikipedia entry it appears to be a rather gruesome event.''' Martin: Thargelia is the second single from this record and I think it was chosen mainly because it is, similar to our first single Crystalline Key, a pretty consistent song. Lyrics were inspired by a number of things. Thargelia, which was an Athenian festival that involved the stoning and burning of people designated as pharmakoi, is only one of the metaphors used. There is also a Freudian concept of totemism, God of the gaps argument and some Nietzsche thrown into the mix… quite a handful of topics for about a hundred words, hehe. Maybe too much. It should convey an image of somebody who is in a situation of both victim and perpetrator, the abused who is abusing the abuser, even transcendentally, and the cosmological consequences (or perhaps foundations) of it. Gestell, a word used here, is a heideggerian concept of the essence of technology and its violence which has the purpose in itself. Lyrics to this song are pretty old and I must say that I would’ve written something else if I were to write it now. '''The cover artwork is confusing. Death appears to be an nearly all engulfing aspect and maybe it is even enclosing this person more and more, until all life has been wiped out. Yet the prospect to venture into this lifeless whiteness looks hardly a promising at all, as death lures there at every corner. Somehow it also reminds on the catacombs under Paris with their endless rows of skulls. What is it then? How can someone live in proximity and immediateness of death? Is there some kind of hope?''' Martin: That is a very interesting interpretation! I view it more in terms of this person being able to embrace death and look around and perhaps even wander… well… towards the great white nothing. But I might be mistaken, the author's incentives are their own, and I didn’t draw it or, for that matter, even consult it that much. Other members discussed it and there were some changes, but I was not that involved in the process, mainly because I am pretty bad with visual art overall and I prefer to stick to words and music. '''Who had been responsible for the cover artwork?''' Michal: It was drawn by Štěpán's wife Týna who is also responsible for illustrations for each song. All the drawings are combinations of her interpretations of the song titles/lyrics and our ideas hidden behind them. For example, the front cover has been amended and discussed together many times until the final version that perfectly represents the name of the record was created. But overall, we are very satisfied with Týna's work, so it is very likely she will create some more art for Voluptas someday in the future as well. '''How would you describe your music?''' Michal: As partially mentioned in the first answers, we like to think we play a bit of a non-standard form of black metal these days. And even though we would not call ourselves an avant-garde band, our main inspirations are Norwegian avant-garde records of the 1990s. It’s primarily black metal, but relatively eclectic and very personal – in a way that it reflects our own music tastes and interests in various musical genres without any need to follow some current trends or pushing ourselves into forced experiments. '''What made you change direction in terms of style and sound? Some of the elements from your debut have vanished. Is there a chance that these will make a reappearance?''' Michal: Of course, actually some of the new songs we are working on at the moment are more similar to Ved Rums Ende than Towards the Great White Nothing, but in a bit different way, of course. We're trying to keep moving forward and not repeat ourselves too much. It's still primarily black metal but with some eccentric rock elements. The change between our debut and second album is caused by the fact that it was composed by different people. Before the recording of Ved Rums Ende, the band had a very unstable lineup. Almost all songs from Towards the Great White Nothing have been composed by the current members, we just have a new drummer who replaced Pepa after the Crystalline Key was composed. '''How has Covid-19 affected you? How have you experienced the time since it has left its impact on the world?''' Michal: The biggest impact was on our possible live gigs. Even though we have never been a very active band with tons of gigs per year, we had some plans to promote the latest record now. For example, a release party was planned to happen and we'd been thinking about at least a small local tour. Of course, none of it happened, and we're happy that we could at least play one gig in a small church called Soulkostel after the release of Towards the Great White Nothing. On the other hand, the impossibility of live gigs allowed us to focus on the composition of new music. We have not rehearsed the old songs almost at all and started writing a new album instead. At the moment we can say we have completed 4 songs and more are in progress. If we will continue at the current tempo, maybe someday during next year we will be able to record it. But since we tend to approach everything rather slowly than fast, it would be a miracle if the new album happened sooner than in 2023. '''What would be your preferences in terms of the arts? Music, books, paintings. How do these effect your music?''' Michal: If I should speak for everyone, we all like black metal, of course. Mainly it's avant-garde or progressive subgenres. From the bands who more or less affected our music, we can mention probably Ved Buens Ende, Dødheimsgard, Emperor, older Negură Bunget and others who combine bm with different music genres. On the other hand, we are not hiding our interest in certain old school records as old Ulver which have a certain impact on our music. When it comes to books, we all worship Lovecraft even though neither Yog-Sothoth or Cthulhu appear in our lyrics. Not sure if any specific paintings inspired our music but the Twin Peaks TV series did (which you surely remember from our previous interview). There are also a lot of current personal obsessions which tend to change a lot. '''Closing comments''' Voluptas: Thank you very much for your continued support! For anyone interested in Voluptas: follow either our Bandcamp or Facebook profile where you can find all our records and sooner or later there will be information about new stuff as well! <nowiki>https://voluptas.bandcamp.com/</nowiki> <nowiki>https://www.facebook.com/VoIuptas</nowiki> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> acf2075c4f3ddccce553844a1b63d396150571eb 0 89 192 2021-07-24T15:42:38Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} '''Voluptas is by no means a common name for a band, so please write a bit about the background of it and what made you take it.'''<br/> ;Štěpán:..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Voluptas is by no means a common name for a band, so please write a bit about the background of it and what made you take it.'''<br/> ;Štěpán: Yeah, probably because we are not a common band :). But seriously – just a few months after the band was founded (spring 2006, or thereabouts) we had a confirmed gig, so we needed a name quickly and no one had any relevant ideas. At that time I was studying for my Latin exam and I liked how the word Voluptas looked and sounded. Also the meaning seemed ok to us – we played something like crossover/alternative rock/punk at that time. Voluptas was the daughter of Eros and Psyche and the word in Latin stands for (and, in Roman mythology, personifies) pleasure, delight, satisfaction, and enjoyment.. In retrospect, I’m not sure if we would choose this name again, but it’s just something that stuck with us... After all, music is still a pleasure for us.<br/><br/> '''Why and when did you start this band? What has been the initial idea, so to speak?'''<br/> ;Štěpán and Pepa: The two of us played together in one no-name project a few years before we started Voluptas in 2006, along with our ex-singer and didgeridoo player Lukáš. We also used two songs from that time later in Voluptas. After a break of one or two years, Pepák found a capable guitarist (Jakub/Guly) and we finally started Voluptas. Each member contributed his own approach and influences, which was mostly crossover/alternative rock/HC/punk music even with “ethno” influences. It was a rather strange brew, and every song was different in style. Around 2010 or 2011, after Martin came to the band, we moved towards black and doom metal. In 2011, the vocalist Lukáš left and was replaced by Michal. In 2012, we parted ways with Jakub, after which Jan/Sup joined the band in early 2013. Since that time, the line-up has been stable and new songs started to be a bit more coherent in shape and tone (though there’s still a lot of space for improvement in terms of songwriting).<br/><br/> '''The Metal Archives does not provide much information on the band members, well aside from their names of course. Have any of them prior experiences to this band and are some even active in other projects right now?'''<br/> ;Michal: I’d been doing vocals with some black and death metal bands in Moravia before I moved to Prague, but there were no recordings to speak of. For the future, I do have some plans outside Voluptas, but nothing is officially confirmed yet.<br/> ;Martin: Although I started doing music prior to my engagement in Voluptas, it was actually my first band. Before that, we formed a project of sorts with Štěpán, but I would even hesitate to call it a project – it was merely an idea – and we basically ended before we started. The name was Xulogozothoth, I think, and we only managed to compose two funeral-ish riffs. Funny thing is that we have recently resurrected those two riffs and are going to use them for a new Voluptas song. My second band is Adonis DNA, kind of psychedelic-blackmetal-rock, something that I've started with Jan several years ago. For me, Adonis DNA is more of a musical confession than a genre-based band and it has a special place in my heart, as pathetic as it sounds. Aside from that, I have two yet-not-properly-executed projects, one being an unnamed black metal project and the other a lo-fi neofolk project. It is a shame that though the songs are composed and lyrics written, there is neither time nor people for proper execution.<br/> ;Jan: Apart from Voluptas, my most recent band is Olaf Olafsonn and the Big Bad Trip. We play rather unconstrained psychedelic rock with lots of improvisation, some classical influences… and a flute! We only started last year, but things have been going pretty fast from there. Like Martin already said, the two of us also play in Adonis DNA. We like to call it “psychotic black metal”, but it’s not even meant to have any real descriptive value. ADNA is indeed more of a pampered child than a routinely functioning band at the time being, but I’m sure there’s some potential buried deep below, we just have to keep digging. I also used to record some deranged impro stuff as Věž, and lo-fi nature-inspired folk/ambient songs as Modřínový háj, but these have lain idle since I started Adonis DNA and joined Voluptas. Generally, what all my bands seem to have in common is wobbly mental health and a mild to moderate degree of eccentricity. Voluptas are no exception.<br/> ;Štěpán: Around the time we started Voluptas, I played in crust/punk band Discunt´e! We had some good songs, we rehearsed a lot and were in pretty good shape, but everything went down the drain, because we couldn’t find a singer and one of our members had some drug-related issues.<br/><br/> '''Your first and so far only release "Ved Rums Ende" points to a peculiar band from Norway: Ved Buens Ende. Could you elaborate on all things hinge together and what made you pick this reference. How can "Ved Rums Ende" be translated?'''<br/> ;Michal: For most of us, Ved Buens Ende (which stands for “At Rainbow’s End”) are a great source of inspiration. We love this band as much as we love rum (and that means a lot!), which is why we put these two things together. Ved Rums Ende is not a very serious name – it could be translated as “At Rum’s End”, and it is also a nod to the end of our “ultra-punk” era, pointing at the fact that after this record we would perhaps like to start taking the band a bit more seriously.<br/> ;Štěpán: Ved Buens Ende are an inspiration, that’s for sure – especially when it comes to disharmony and magical/surreal atmosphere. Their influence is probably most detectable in Plísně kosmické. But we certainly don’t intend to be a VBE revival or something like that, leaving aside the fact that we wouldn’t be able to do that even if we wanted to.<br/><br/> '''Would you consider playing a cover version of one of their tracks? If so, which one would you pick?'''<br/> ;Martin: I would pick I Sang for the Swans – mainly because it’s my most favourite track - but the problem is that Ved Buens Ende did something that is very hard to imitate, at least for us. It would be almost impossible to redo drums for example, but guitars are also quite difficult at some places. We could do some adaptation or something of course, but I think their songs are better the way they are :)<br/> ;Štěpán: It´s hard to choose only one track, because almost everything from them is brilliant, but probably I would pick A Mask in the Mirror (maybe it’s strange, but I prefer little more their demo instead of full length). In that others I agree with Martin. We are not yet able to do it with dignity. But one day...!<br/> ;Jan: Covering such a unique and original band would require some serious creative input. Playing a VBE cover note for note just doesn’t make sense. And like Martin and Štěpán said, I think we have to walk a few more miles before we can just bang our fists on the table and say “Alright, let’s cover VBE/Arcturus/Ulver/Dodheimsgard” and do all the work that it takes with, well, dignity.<br/><br/> '''How does the artwork of your release fit into this? Who had been responsible for it?'''<br/> Michal: The author of the artwork is Jan’s uncle and he had almost complete creative freedom, we only gave him a couple of keywords related to some themes and motifs that we wanted to incorporate. And we have to say he’s done an excellent job. If you have a closer look at the artwork, you can find some of our songs in it. The most striking one is probably Golgotha, but there is also the mildewed moon (Plísně kosmické, which stands for The Moulds from Outer Space), Evil and Forests (Zlo a lesy), and, as an easily detectable Easter egg, there’s also a rum bottle. The inside of the CD case has not been published yet, but on the physical copy, there will also be some Twin Peaks allusions, etc.<br/><br/> '''Judging from the fact that the bandcamp entry has the lyrics available in English it would be safe to say that the band also uses these texts, but why are the track titles in Czech, then? And why no lyrics in Czech?'''<br/> ;Martin: The thing is that lyrics are always written by me and titles are always Štěpán's ideas. Many of our songs had no lyrics at all before I came into the band and those that we composed after my arrival (which, therefore, had lyrics from the beginning) were also named by Štěpán. Some titles are actually puns: “Plísně Kosmické” for example is a play on “Písně Kosmické”, which is a name of a book of poetry by Czech poet Jan Neruda (“Písně kosmické” translates as “The Songs from Outer Space” whereas our title means “The Moulds from Outer Space” – the Lovecraftian motif is more than obvious, hehe). <br/>The main reason why we've chosen English over our native language is that Czech would just sound a bit silly. It has a different dynamics. English is generally more suitable for this kind of music, I think.<br/> ;Jan: The thing is there’s this enormous bulk of international English lyrics which has generated over time a sort of “twilight zone” of wishy-washy conventional phrases, where you can hide with mediocre-to-crappy lyrics and be more or less well shielded from the critics, unless one of them cares to look at the words really closely. If your Czech lyrics are no good, especially in a genre like black metal, they somehow tend to stick out a bit more, even to less demanding ears. The specific dynamics of the language plays a role, of course. But also convention/tradition. As for Voluptas, most of us have a background in English that goes well beyond grappling with basic grammar and knowing there once was a guy named Dickens. Some of us use the language every day, admire the literature, etc. (not only Lovecraft), so I don’t think we (Martin) chose English merely as a soft option. While it may be easier to hide in the shadows, it is quite challenging to produce above-average lyrics in a language other than our mother tongue, but generally I believe it can be done, as long as you’re good enough to pull it off. I’m by no means saying that’s our case, though – dog forbid! :))<br/><br/> '''What do your lyrics deal with? Do these follow in line with what is common in the black metal scene?'''<br/> ;Martin: Every theme is different and I have no intention concerning continuity neither with myself nor with some kind of scene or genre. To paint a picture: Catastrophe is about natural disasters and the nature of mankind, Podzimní (Autumn Song) plays with pagan imagery, Leland is obviously a theme from Twin Peaks... And the most recent thing, Plísně kosmické (The Moulds from Outer Space), is actually a rearranged poem I wrote some time before the creation of the song itself, and it is about one very bad night I had. Last but not least, Zlo a lesy (Evil and Forests) is a song about falling face down on the ground shitfaced – one of our deepest lyrics for sure.<br/><br/> '''Speaking about black metal, how would you describe your music? What are its core essences?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: There is no single core essence. Our older songs (Podzimní, Catastrophe) were mostly rooted in dark hardcore, crust, emocore/screamo and doom/sludge/post-metal (Golgotha), while our newer songs mostly build on black and doom metal, but we still play it in a somewhat punky manner. The reason is partly the simple fact that we can’t play it any better, but on the other hand, we kinda like it that way!<br/><br/> '''What bands have and still play a role in terms of influences?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: In newer songs it’s VBE/Virus/DHG, Oranssi Pazuzu, Bohren & der Club of Gore (Plísně). In older songs it would be Angelo Badalamenti (Leland), Carpathian Forest, Agalloch, Darkthrone (Zlo a lesy), Celtic Frost, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard (Lože vyvrhelovo), Sólstafir, Lvmen, Madame Germen (Golgotha, Podzimní), Hellshock (Catastrophe). Maybe old Opeth in terms of mood. Some people have told us they can hear the influence of Master’s Hammer in our music; that also makes sense. ;Jan: Also definitely Comus in terms of atmosphere, though it may not be so evident in Voluptas. And of course Ulver – as a distant beacon.<br/> '''The opener breaks with the flow of the album or is it the other way around? It is difficult to say, but it is strange to experience such a furious opening and then a certain avoidance to follow it. How does the opener and the rest fit together?'''<br/> ;Michal: Most tracks on the album are pretty old. Plísně kosmické is by far the newest song we’ve created (at least it was at the time of recording). This is why we decided to display it in the shop-window, so to speak, with the rest of the songs following as a sort of a trip into the band’s history. <br/> :Štěpán: That’s true. There are actually great temporal gaps between the individual songs. We are far from your idea of a well-functioning band – it’s pretty common for us that we don’t see each other for a few months, during which we have no rehearsals and no songwriting is taking place. We were an active band barely for a half of the official 10 years of our recorded existence. Our oldest song is Podzimní (2007–8), then Catastrophe (2010–11) and Golgotha (2010–11), followed by Leland (2011).<br/> ;Jan: Even as somebody who joined the band late, I can definitely sense that there’s been a change in songwriting, with Plísně kosmické being the landmark. I have to say that some of the older songs are actually really well written (e.g. Leland), but as a larger whole they are quite disparate. With Plísně kosmické and the new songs we’re working on now, things are finally starting to settle for something more coherent.<br/><br/> '''How do the elements in your compositions fall into place? How do you approach the song-writing aspect as well as maintaining a certain consistency in terms of style, sound and concept? Is this something the entire band is involved in?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: Podzimní was composed mostly by me, Catastrophe and Golgotha by me and our ex-guitarist Jakub/Guly. The rest, the newer songs, are mostly Martin’s job. We’re talking about the composition of the song’s core, of course – every member then plays around with their part or makes it up completely, as long as the rest agrees (or doesn’t protest too much).<br/> ;Martin: As for composition, it’s almost the same every time – I come to rehearsal with some basic draft, we do some brainstorming and frequently change things like order of different sequences etc. Others create their parts on the go – often someone brings a new riff that is added into the song etc. Since Jan is a far more talented and trained guitarist than I am, he is responsible for solos and melodic ideas. Pepa can come up with rich, layered drum patterns and he adds some uniqueness to our songs, because he is not exactly a typical metal drummer. It is important to say that we sound the way we do mostly due to Štěpán’s distinctive way of composing bass lines – they are frequently melodic lines rather than typical groovy bass lines. Last but not least, there is Michal who also creates his vocal lines. For the first two or three songs, I actually recorded my own version of vocals for him to learn, because we thought that I am able to do the right flow since I wrote the lyrics, but time has revealed that Michal does the job better than me, so it’s all up to him now.<br/><br/> '''While there is certainly metal in the tracks, this aspect is not put up front, but rather merged among other influences. Well, how does your band fit into the broader (black) metal spectrum? What does your local scene look like?'''<br/> ;Štěpán: People with whom we are in touch are actually mostly from the local DIY HC/punk scene, although most of them also have metal bands. We can drop a couple of names of some young bands: The Tower (traditional doom/heavy) and Black Aspirin (crust/sludge/death) from Prague and Self-hatred (funeral doom/black) from Pilsen. Also worth mentioning are Plague Porter (avantgarde black), and then there are of course Master’s Hammer, but they reached kvlt status long before Voluptas was even born. From non-metal Czech bands, we love madebythefire (math/prog/post-rock) from Pilsen – they are really great. ;Jan: Some more great Czech bands, both young and not-so-young, are Zkouška sirén and Argonaut (off-the-hook stoner), Ubožák (delirious post-rock/metal) and Permon Balet Superstar (one-of-a-kind math rock-ish band).<br/><br/> '''Currently your music is only available digitally, but there are plans to spread it on CD or so as well. Can you name a definite date?'''<br/> ;Michal: The CDs have already been printed, we are just waiting for the cover. It will be a DIY cardboard package, and I think it will be quite a treat. We’ve got 100 copies and there will be a release party at our gig with Alkerdeel on 30th October in Prague. https://www.facebook.com/events/946599172133693/ <br/> We are releasing the CD ourselves and we will also take care of all distribution, there’s no label involved. So if you want a copy, just drop us a line and we will be happy to ship it to wherever you are. In the future, we would like to have a vinyl, too – maybe not of Ved Rums Ende, but some other future record. But it will also depend on how the CDs will sell.<br/><br/> '''Could you write a bit about your experiences on stage? Do you only stick to you music or play cover versions as well? How does the music differ from your album stuff once you are on stage?'''<br/> ;Michal: We drink a lot of rum and we fuck up bigtime! We love playing live, even though we don’t do it that often. But there’s no special message in our live shows and we don’t have any special image either. We played a cover of one Norwegian blackmetal band a few times, but otherwise we don’t usually play or even attempt covers.<br/> ;Štěpán: Rum is very important for our gigs, we usually have at least one bottle on stage. Very soon we found out that we actually play better when we drink rum than when we’re sober, but the problem is, of course, to find good measure – it’s a real tightrope.<br/><br/> '''How and where can someone get/find/buy your music?'''<br/> ;Michal: You can download it on bandcamp and, like I said, we will soon have CDs. That will be announced also on bandcamp, as well as on our facebook page. <br/><br/> '''What would be your plans with the band for the future?'''<br/> ;Michal: On 30th October we play with Alkerdeel in Prague and we decided to turn this occasion into a release party for Ved Rums Ende. At the moment we are working on three new songs, and we will play one of them live on the 30th. It is mostly black and doom metal with some other influences – and hopefully also at least a microinjection of DHG-like insanity. Other than that, we just hope to come up with some new songs, play live every now and then, and not to kill ourselves with the rum.<br/><br/> '''Closing comments if you like.'''<br/> All: Thanks for your interest in our lousy crew. This interview has been a fuzzy and heart-warming experience, which is very welcome in this cold realm of mould, forests and evil that we usually inhabit. Godspeed y’all! {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2016]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2016]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> f9558451766a50f0243e3ec0b286f4ffb9251b48 0 90 194 2021-07-24T15:51:07Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} '''Please introduce yourself and your band. Where are you from and what kind of music do you play?'''<br/> I´m Josué Coloma and Alozeau is my one-m..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Please introduce yourself and your band. Where are you from and what kind of music do you play?'''<br/> I´m Josué Coloma and Alozeau is my one-man band. I'm from Valencia, but I,m currently living in Barcelona. I make experimental electronics, between ambient and industrial music.<br/><br/> '''Can you lay out in the history of the band a bit? Where have you started where are you now?'''<br/> I've played in bands since I was 15 years old. The most of these bands were punk, garage, metal or progressive rock. I played guitar, bass or keyboards. In 2007 I began to play electronics with laptop as Alozeau, until now.<br/><br/> '''What does your band name refer to?'''<br/> It refers to a canadian surname: Lozeau. Leo Lozeau is the main character of a canadian film called “Léolo” (Jean-Claude Lauzon, 1992). I love that film and I would say that it's one of my favourite ones. The name of the band is, in a certain sense, my little tribute.<br/><br/> '''What had been the initial idea when you started your band and how has this evolved over time?'''<br/> My initial idea was experimenting with sound and noise and making atmospheres. In the beginning I used to play with laptop just. Now I'm playing more keyboards and guitars. I usually sample them and I play with all that. Maybe this is the little difference, but essentially I think that I make the same thing: experimenting with sound.<br/><br/> '''What would be the core essences of your music and how does your release “Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari” fit into this?'''<br/> I don´t really know how to tell what the core essence of my music is. Maybe the intention is expressing things that can't be expressed in other ways. These things just can be told through art or creativity. Hidden aspects of human being, dark sides of existence, abstract sensations or feelings... I don't know how to describe it with words, just with the music.<br/><br/> '''“Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari” is quite a peculiar movie. What would be the connection between you and this film?'''<br/> I watched part of this film in cinema class, while studying at University. I was fascinated by the aesthetics, set designs, costumes, the make up... From my point of view it's one of the first “atmospheric” movies of the history of the cinema. It´s a good story in a mysterious and intringuing atmosphere.<br/><br/> '''How did you feel about it? Do you like it?'''<br/> It changed my way of watching films. I love it<br/><br/> '''Your opinion on the persons Caligari and Cesare. Are these two characters still of importance today? Is something of either of these still part of our own characters?'''<br/> Caligari and Cesare are us. As the rest of the characters of the film, in different ways. I have a psychoanalytical reading about it. Caligari is the Id, Cesare is the Ego and Francis the Superego. Potentially, we are all “bad” people, we all have “bad” instincts, and we are controlled unconsciously by these primitive instincts. Society and morals make up this fact, so we don't kill each other..., well, at least we kill each other a little bit less. But despite the morals, the Id always goes back, it never dissapears. The Id is part of us. And we have to feed the monster in order to keep it quite. This monster inside us is Caligari, the Id. On the other hand, we can leave it free through art, music, literature, etc.<br/><br/> '''Do you think this film has aged well?'''<br/> Well, it's a silent movie. Nowadays, we have a lot of technological advances in the cinema that may lead to the assumption that all silent movies has aged badly. But I don't think so. In fact, I think that movies as “Caligari”, “Battleship Potemkim” or “The Birth Of A Nation” still are actual because they are about us. They are old but new at the same time. I don't believe in a drastic distinction between old and new. It's not the same thing, of course, but both are connected, in some sense.<br/><br/> '''Are there other ones that you would like to write “a score” for? In case this would be true, which one would it be and for what reasons?'''<br/> I've made music for “Ballet Mécanique” (Ferdinand Léger, 1924) and “Decasia: The State Of Decay” (Bill Morrison, 2002). There is no recordings but I've played them live in film screenings. Now I'm thinking about making “The Phantom Carriage” (Victor Ströström, 1921), “La Chute de la maison Usher” (Jean Epstein, 1928), “Aelita” (Yálov Protazánov, 1924) or “Algol – Tragödie der Macht” (Hans Werckmeiste, 1920). I can compose music mentally while watching these films. The images, the story, all that silence are inspiring. As this films are silent, I can imagine the sound freely. If I listen the original soundtrack while watching the film, it's more difficult to imagine something that already exists. Anyway, I've been thinking about doing it with some sound movie, like “Nosferatu” (Werner Herzog, 1978), for example.<br/><br/> '''Are you by chance familiar with other movies from this era of German cinema?'''<br/> Yes. “Nosferatu”, “The Golem”, “Metropolis”, “M”... I think it's a great era of cinema.<br/><br/> '''How did you approach the film or the topic? Had it been just the aesthetics that played a role in crafting the music or are you aware of what the film tried to express and what its meaning would be? On how it reflects a certain state of mind in the Weimar Republic.'''<br/> To be honest I have to say that the reason why I approached the film was mainly the aesthetics. I think that its dark “mise-on-scene” is connected with my music. However, I have always been atractted by the first half of the 20th century. Europe was in a time of crisis, a crisis of civilization. And in this time all the repression of the western culture came out in a bad way. That is to say, it came out in the form of State violence, racism, world wars, systematic discrimination and hate speech against the difference. I think we must look at these moments in order to be aware of all that, and so maybe we can avoid to repeat some errors. Anyway, I'm not very optimistic about it and I think History is repeating itself. Again and again. On the other hand, it was a time of powerful art production: avantgardes, jazz, expressionism, dodecafonism, Kurt Weill, serialism, ...<br/><br/> '''Is it possible to watch the film and listen to the music at the same time? Is there a cut of the film that you prefer?'''<br/> Yes, it`s possible, more or less. In fact, I recorded the music while watching the film. A favourite one? “Du musst Caligari werden”, maybe.<br/><br/> '''For arguments sake, let us imagine that someone would merely listen to the music and be unaware of the film. Would it not be difficult to really grasp the meaning behind the stark switches between the various tracks? Take “Cesare, der Somnambule” and “Heimweg” for instance.'''<br/> I suppose that the rhythm of the music suggests that it's about a film, or something visual. I don't really know if this person would grasp the meaning or not -the question of meaning depends on the context and it's difficult to know what is such thing as “true meaning”-, but I'm sure that one can make an own meaning, and that's the most important thing.<br/><br/> '''Parts of your music are quite disturbing and slightly off-putting. Why is that so? What role do noise and ambient play? When it comes to counterpoints, then how important is something like this to you?'''<br/> Yes, I know that my music is not easy. It's not suitable for all audiences. But that's what I like to do. I want to tell something, or to express something, or simply experimenting with something. And I do it. That's all.<br/> Noise and ambient are two of the main features of my music. There are noise moods and ambient moods, so to speak. And the counterpoints, in “Caligari”, is connected with the ups and downs of the story.<br/><br/> '''Parts of the music give the impression of mocking and playing with the mind of the listener. “Jahrmarkt” is not exactly what someone might imagine when it comes to visit such a place.'''<br/> Well, I wouldn't say that I'm mocking at all. But it's true that I'm playing with the mind of the listener. It's unintended but I think it's like that. The track that you mention is a special one. I'm aware of people doesn´t feel like that while being in a amusement park. I wanted to suggest that this park is not a happy place, that it is not just entertainment, and that behind the appearance of a funny park there is somethink dark, at the movie at least. It is connected with my psychoanalytical reading of the film. Behind everything there is always something unpleasent, dark, difficult to accept. I'm interested in that point of reality.<br/><br/> '''Is there something that you may want people to take with them from your music?'''<br/> I want them to find something in it. Fun, fear, thrill, curiosity, a story, a sound, an idea, a feeling, a though, a sensation. Just something. It depens on the listener.<br/><br/> '''There is a piece of paper added to the release, but the writing on it is in Spanish. What is it that you have written on it?'''<br/> Yes, I could not imagine that a limited CD edition (30 copies) will travel across borders and that's why I just put the writing in Spanish. The text tells the story of the project. To sum up, Caligari's project started in 2010, when a friend of mine (Raül Fuentes) suggested me to make some music for a film screening. I chose Caligari. In 2014, in Barcelona, Joan Parera and Isabel García suggested me something similar one more time, and I did it again. After that, Òscar and Desirée asked me if I was interested in releasing the music in their label Marbre Negre. That's the story.<br/><br/> '''What equipment did you use for this recording?'''<br/> For this recording I've used laptop. Everything is MIDI and electronics sounds.<br/><br/> '''How can someone get in touch with you and where can someone find your music?'''<br/> alozeau1974@gmail.com<br/> http://alozeau.bandcamp.com/<br/><br/> '''What would be the future plans for Alozeau?'''<br/> By now, I'll play live with visuals that I make. And possibly some live with silent films screenings.<br/><br/> '''Closing comments if you like'''<br/> Thanks a lot for this interesting interview. A true pleasure. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Alozeau]][[Category:Spain]][[Category:Dark Ambient]][[Category:Industrial]][[Category:2016]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2016]][[Genre::Dark Ambient]][[Genre::Industrial]] </div> 637493878dc1825c188fcbdc8d9bc5ad3435eeb1 0 91 195 2021-07-24T15:53:31Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Vast desolate landscapes bereft of life is what comes to mind once Avgrunden starts to play. A surreal minimalism that shows come obvious references..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Vast desolate landscapes bereft of life is what comes to mind once Avgrunden starts to play. A surreal minimalism that shows come obvious references to the American band Earth. The background of it all is just one of the topics of this interview. Why did you pick this name? How does Avgrunden and the music that you play go hand in hand? In the early begining Avgrunden was a one man project focusing on heavy drone/doom in the vein of Sunn O))) and early Earth with longer songs focusing on minimalism and repetition. So I choose the name “Avgrunden”(which is Swedish for Abyss) for two reasons first being that Nietzche quote “If you stare long enough into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you” it also refers to a place in Thelema where the abyss is a space between what’s real and what’s ideal. The name came about when I realised that if I repeated a riff a certain amount of time, the way I heard and played it would automatically change. Where are you from? The Metal Archives lists you as an American band, while on Bandcamp there is Sweden mentioned. We have always been in Sweden, we used Olympia WA as our hometown on Myspace as a joke. Your music shows a considerable amount of similarities to the American band Earth. Why do you play this kind of music? What is its fascination for you? It has alot to do with me(Victor) being in a bad place right at the start of Avgrunden I hadn’t played music in about 3-4 years and had given up on trying to find new music. Then one day my roomate at the time showed me “The Bees made honey” and It gave me the exact same feeling that I had gotten from Nirvana when I was around 13. So I dove headfirst into Earths discography and basically just listened to Earth the next 4 years. What fascinated me was the slow tempo and heavyness of it, I had never heard a band that could create such a powerfull ambiance, and at the time I ate alot of hallucinogenic drugs and Earth was the perfect soundtrack. Where are the differences between their and your music? I would say that we have a more “anything goes”-mentality, we mix the western-americana vibe from Earth with shoe-gaze & noise elements from bands like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr as well as old swedish folk tunes and some of the “kraut”-rock & postrock elements. Our first label manager(Johan Strömvall Hammarstedt of Ominous Recordings) described us as “Earth if Dylan Carlson had attention span problems” Do you have an idea to which you like to progress towards? A certain sound you would like to create and might even point to as definite? Well we’re currently restructuring the band (our drummer will leave us next year) and we’ve talked about trying to do more of the shoe-gaze/noise stuff, there’s also going to be a “American-primitive guitar” type album where it’s just me a electric guitar and amps. And a Death/Doom type album, but we haven’t got a time frame for when we’re recording them, How do you keep the music interesting and how do you avoid a so-called conceptual stalemate? We’ve acctually gotten into a conceptual stalemate this year due to us being burned out by playing/touring almost all of 2013, so we are currently not that active. In the past we’ve tried doing concepts that aren’t what we usually do (Blue Lotus) and also the most important thing, letting every member of the band have a say in what the final result should be. Is there something that you want to create in the mind of the listener? An image, a colour, an impression? We’ve always been inspired by a visual concept, for The Cursed Earth it was the old swedish movie “The Phantom Carriage” for “…vid världens ände” it was “the Seventh Seal”, on our other albums like Blue Lotus we made up a whole back story and had plans of trying to do some kind of radio theater thing about a blind paranormal detective who ate hallucinogens in order to open his third eye, who lived in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Black Metal mafiosos, who was searching for the Blue Lotus the most rare of all hallucinogens. But all the “acting” became super-cheezy so we just scrapped it. But when writing music we all have some sort of visual referens, on our upcoming album it’s Blade Runner/Cyber-punk. What kind of equipment do you use for your recordings? Does the music play on stage differ from the stuff on the releases? We’re using basically the same equipment live as on stage, except we do overdubs with different guitars/basses. Is there a special reason for not using lyrics? Or am I very much mistaken and you have indeed some texts somewhere? None of us likes music where there’s clean cut lyrics, I used to sing in a band when I was around 15-16 and lyrics are by the far the hardest part to write. Also we all prefer music without lyrics. Can you explain the idea behind “Deepsleep #2 (Another Blaze in the Northern Sky)“ of the “…vid världens ände” album, Blå Lotus’s “Transilvanian Munchies” and the title of your latest release “Live in Leipzig”? It is curious to find these references on several releases of a band, whose music is quite some way of the black metal genre. Live in Leipzig is a homage to Mayhem and the most iconic bootleg of all time, I’m(as was Daniel & Cecilia) really into Norwegian Black Metal and was living in the same area(Töyen) in Oslo where Euronymous was murdered at the time of writing those two songs. You are working on a new album, aren’t you? How far has it progressed and how does it differ from what you have released so far? Any release date, yet? Yes we are working on a new album, we’ve recorded all the songs and are going to do the overdubs/mix/master during the winter. It’s a really different album since every song is written by us as a band instead of it being me coming up with a riff and everybody playing around that, we’ve also recorded a remix of the swedish pop-band JJ’s song “Fågelsången” that will be the first ever Avgrunden track with lyrics, I also finally get to tremolopick on some tracks which is really cool. It’s also alot less “western-americana” and more electronic, we’ve also never had as complex arrangements on previous albums. Are there releases available right now? Some of them are rather rare. Is there a chance to see some stuff re-released at some point – physically and not digitally? There are a few copies of “The Cursed Earth” left at http://lecrepusculedusoir.yolasite.com/limited-releases.php If someone is interested in re-releasing our old albums then sure, if not then we’ll have to see, I would rather go on to new and exciting things rather than trying to make the past relevant again. Aside from this, what can be expected from you in the future? We’re aiming to be more obscure, right now there’s a wave of shitty Stoner Rock bands in Sweden and we want nothing to do with a bunch of bearded guys with bootcut jeans, Gibson SGs & Orange Amps pretending it’s 1990 all over, so we’re going to go against the current norm and cut out some of the “rock”-elements and try to be more of a noise/shoe-gaze type band. Hopefully we’ll tour more in the future but we’ll just have to see. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> 9922767002d83a7cfd8d9e68712c56835f661ce9 196 195 2021-07-24T15:54:41Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Vast desolate landscapes bereft of life is what comes to mind once Avgrunden starts to play. A surreal minimalism that shows come obvious references to the American band Earth. The background of it all is just one of the topics of this interview.''' '''Why did you pick this name? How does Avgrunden and the music that you play go hand in hand?''' In the early begining Avgrunden was a one man project focusing on heavy drone/doom in the vein of Sunn O))) and early Earth with longer songs focusing on minimalism and repetition. So I choose the name “Avgrunden”(which is Swedish for Abyss) for two reasons first being that Nietzche quote “If you stare long enough into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you” it also refers to a place in Thelema where the abyss is a space between what’s real and what’s ideal. The name came about when I realised that if I repeated a riff a certain amount of time, the way I heard and played it would automatically change. '''Where are you from? The Metal Archives lists you as an American band, while on Bandcamp there is Sweden mentioned.''' We have always been in Sweden, we used Olympia WA as our hometown on Myspace as a joke. '''Your music shows a considerable amount of similarities to the American band Earth. Why do you play this kind of music? What is its fascination for you?''' It has alot to do with me(Victor) being in a bad place right at the start of Avgrunden I hadn’t played music in about 3-4 years and had given up on trying to find new music. Then one day my roomate at the time showed me “The Bees made honey” and It gave me the exact same feeling that I had gotten from Nirvana when I was around 13. So I dove headfirst into Earths discography and basically just listened to Earth the next 4 years. What fascinated me was the slow tempo and heavyness of it, I had never heard a band that could create such a powerfull ambiance, and at the time I ate alot of hallucinogenic drugs and Earth was the perfect soundtrack. '''Where are the differences between their and your music?''' I would say that we have a more “anything goes”-mentality, we mix the western-americana vibe from Earth with shoe-gaze & noise elements from bands like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr as well as old swedish folk tunes and some of the “kraut”-rock & postrock elements. Our first label manager(Johan Strömvall Hammarstedt of Ominous Recordings) described us as “Earth if Dylan Carlson had attention span problems” '''Do you have an idea to which you like to progress towards? A certain sound you would like to create and might even point to as definite?''' Well we’re currently restructuring the band (our drummer will leave us next year) and we’ve talked about trying to do more of the shoe-gaze/noise stuff, there’s also going to be a “American-primitive guitar” type album where it’s just me a electric guitar and amps. And a Death/Doom type album, but we haven’t got a time frame for when we’re recording them, '''How do you keep the music interesting and how do you avoid a so-called conceptual stalemate?''' We’ve acctually gotten into a conceptual stalemate this year due to us being burned out by playing/touring almost all of 2013, so we are currently not that active. In the past we’ve tried doing concepts that aren’t what we usually do (Blue Lotus) and also the most important thing, letting every member of the band have a say in what the final result should be. '''Is there something that you want to create in the mind of the listener? An image, a colour, an impression?''' We’ve always been inspired by a visual concept, for The Cursed Earth it was the old swedish movie “The Phantom Carriage” for “…vid världens ände” it was “the Seventh Seal”, on our other albums like Blue Lotus we made up a whole back story and had plans of trying to do some kind of radio theater thing about a blind paranormal detective who ate hallucinogens in order to open his third eye, who lived in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Black Metal mafiosos, who was searching for the Blue Lotus the most rare of all hallucinogens. But all the “acting” became super-cheezy so we just scrapped it. But when writing music we all have some sort of visual referens, on our upcoming album it’s Blade Runner/Cyber-punk. '''What kind of equipment do you use for your recordings? Does the music play on stage differ from the stuff on the releases?''' We’re using basically the same equipment live as on stage, except we do overdubs with different guitars/basses. '''Is there a special reason for not using lyrics? Or am I very much mistaken and you have indeed some texts somewhere?''' None of us likes music where there’s clean cut lyrics, I used to sing in a band when I was around 15-16 and lyrics are by the far the hardest part to write. Also we all prefer music without lyrics. '''Can you explain the idea behind “Deepsleep #2 (Another Blaze in the Northern Sky)“ of the “…vid världens ände” album, Blå Lotus’s “Transilvanian Munchies” and the title of your latest release “Live in Leipzig”? It is curious to find these references on several releases of a band, whose music is quite some way of the black metal genre.''' Live in Leipzig is a homage to Mayhem and the most iconic bootleg of all time, I’m(as was Daniel & Cecilia) really into Norwegian Black Metal and was living in the same area(Töyen) in Oslo where Euronymous was murdered at the time of writing those two songs. '''You are working on a new album, aren’t you? How far has it progressed and how does it differ from what you have released so far? Any release date, yet?''' Yes we are working on a new album, we’ve recorded all the songs and are going to do the overdubs/mix/master during the winter. It’s a really different album since every song is written by us as a band instead of it being me coming up with a riff and everybody playing around that, we’ve also recorded a remix of the swedish pop-band JJ’s song “Fågelsången” that will be the first ever Avgrunden track with lyrics, I also finally get to tremolopick on some tracks which is really cool. It’s also alot less “western-americana” and more electronic, we’ve also never had as complex arrangements on previous albums. '''Are there releases available right now? Some of them are rather rare. Is there a chance to see some stuff re-released at some point – physically and not digitally?''' There are a few copies of “The Cursed Earth” left at http://lecrepusculedusoir.yolasite.com/limited-releases.php If someone is interested in re-releasing our old albums then sure, if not then we’ll have to see, I would rather go on to new and exciting things rather than trying to make the past relevant again. '''Aside from this, what can be expected from you in the future?''' We’re aiming to be more obscure, right now there’s a wave of shitty Stoner Rock bands in Sweden and we want nothing to do with a bunch of bearded guys with bootcut jeans, Gibson SGs & Orange Amps pretending it’s 1990 all over, so we’re going to go against the current norm and cut out some of the “rock”-elements and try to be more of a noise/shoe-gaze type band. Hopefully we’ll tour more in the future but we’ll just have to see. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> 87fedfe31bec26e3b004457e89f82d58df2a13a1 199 196 2021-07-24T15:58:53Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Vast desolate landscapes bereft of life is what comes to mind once Avgrunden starts to play. A surreal minimalism that shows come obvious references to the American band Earth. The background of it all is just one of the topics of this interview.''' '''Why did you pick this name? How does Avgrunden and the music that you play go hand in hand?''' In the early begining Avgrunden was a one man project focusing on heavy drone/doom in the vein of Sunn O))) and early Earth with longer songs focusing on minimalism and repetition. So I choose the name “Avgrunden”(which is Swedish for Abyss) for two reasons first being that Nietzche quote “If you stare long enough into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you” it also refers to a place in Thelema where the abyss is a space between what’s real and what’s ideal. The name came about when I realised that if I repeated a riff a certain amount of time, the way I heard and played it would automatically change. '''Where are you from? The Metal Archives lists you as an American band, while on Bandcamp there is Sweden mentioned.''' We have always been in Sweden, we used Olympia WA as our hometown on Myspace as a joke. '''Your music shows a considerable amount of similarities to the American band Earth. Why do you play this kind of music? What is its fascination for you?''' It has alot to do with me(Victor) being in a bad place right at the start of Avgrunden I hadn’t played music in about 3-4 years and had given up on trying to find new music. Then one day my roomate at the time showed me “The Bees made honey” and It gave me the exact same feeling that I had gotten from Nirvana when I was around 13. So I dove headfirst into Earths discography and basically just listened to Earth the next 4 years. What fascinated me was the slow tempo and heavyness of it, I had never heard a band that could create such a powerfull ambiance, and at the time I ate alot of hallucinogenic drugs and Earth was the perfect soundtrack. '''Where are the differences between their and your music?''' I would say that we have a more “anything goes”-mentality, we mix the western-americana vibe from Earth with shoe-gaze & noise elements from bands like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr as well as old swedish folk tunes and some of the “kraut”-rock & postrock elements. Our first label manager(Johan Strömvall Hammarstedt of Ominous Recordings) described us as “Earth if Dylan Carlson had attention span problems” '''Do you have an idea to which you like to progress towards? A certain sound you would like to create and might even point to as definite?''' Well we’re currently restructuring the band (our drummer will leave us next year) and we’ve talked about trying to do more of the shoe-gaze/noise stuff, there’s also going to be a “American-primitive guitar” type album where it’s just me a electric guitar and amps. And a Death/Doom type album, but we haven’t got a time frame for when we’re recording them, '''How do you keep the music interesting and how do you avoid a so-called conceptual stalemate?''' We’ve acctually gotten into a conceptual stalemate this year due to us being burned out by playing/touring almost all of 2013, so we are currently not that active. In the past we’ve tried doing concepts that aren’t what we usually do (Blue Lotus) and also the most important thing, letting every member of the band have a say in what the final result should be. '''Is there something that you want to create in the mind of the listener? An image, a colour, an impression?''' We’ve always been inspired by a visual concept, for The Cursed Earth it was the old swedish movie “The Phantom Carriage” for “…vid världens ände” it was “the Seventh Seal”, on our other albums like Blue Lotus we made up a whole back story and had plans of trying to do some kind of radio theater thing about a blind paranormal detective who ate hallucinogens in order to open his third eye, who lived in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by Black Metal mafiosos, who was searching for the Blue Lotus the most rare of all hallucinogens. But all the “acting” became super-cheezy so we just scrapped it. But when writing music we all have some sort of visual referens, on our upcoming album it’s Blade Runner/Cyber-punk. '''What kind of equipment do you use for your recordings? Does the music play on stage differ from the stuff on the releases?''' We’re using basically the same equipment live as on stage, except we do overdubs with different guitars/basses. '''Is there a special reason for not using lyrics? Or am I very much mistaken and you have indeed some texts somewhere?''' None of us likes music where there’s clean cut lyrics, I used to sing in a band when I was around 15-16 and lyrics are by the far the hardest part to write. Also we all prefer music without lyrics. '''Can you explain the idea behind “Deepsleep #2 (Another Blaze in the Northern Sky)“ of the “…vid världens ände” album, Blå Lotus’s “Transilvanian Munchies” and the title of your latest release “Live in Leipzig”? It is curious to find these references on several releases of a band, whose music is quite some way of the black metal genre.''' Live in Leipzig is a homage to Mayhem and the most iconic bootleg of all time, I’m(as was Daniel & Cecilia) really into Norwegian Black Metal and was living in the same area(Töyen) in Oslo where Euronymous was murdered at the time of writing those two songs. '''You are working on a new album, aren’t you? How far has it progressed and how does it differ from what you have released so far? Any release date, yet?''' Yes we are working on a new album, we’ve recorded all the songs and are going to do the overdubs/mix/master during the winter. It’s a really different album since every song is written by us as a band instead of it being me coming up with a riff and everybody playing around that, we’ve also recorded a remix of the swedish pop-band JJ’s song “Fågelsången” that will be the first ever Avgrunden track with lyrics, I also finally get to tremolopick on some tracks which is really cool. It’s also alot less “western-americana” and more electronic, we’ve also never had as complex arrangements on previous albums. '''Are there releases available right now? Some of them are rather rare. Is there a chance to see some stuff re-released at some point – physically and not digitally?''' There are a few copies of “The Cursed Earth” left at http://lecrepusculedusoir.yolasite.com/limited-releases.php If someone is interested in re-releasing our old albums then sure, if not then we’ll have to see, I would rather go on to new and exciting things rather than trying to make the past relevant again. '''Aside from this, what can be expected from you in the future?''' We’re aiming to be more obscure, right now there’s a wave of shitty Stoner Rock bands in Sweden and we want nothing to do with a bunch of bearded guys with bootcut jeans, Gibson SGs & Orange Amps pretending it’s 1990 all over, so we’re going to go against the current norm and cut out some of the “rock”-elements and try to be more of a noise/shoe-gaze type band. Hopefully we’ll tour more in the future but we’ll just have to see. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Avgrunden]][[Category:Sweden]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Doom Metal]][[Category:2014]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2014]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Doom Metal]] </div> 95a122300a6f615b10de95d990c4539106516f3d 0 92 200 2021-07-24T16:26:07Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} '''Another interview with a band from Italy. The music scene – not only the metal one – has a lot to offer and by this I do not mean stuff like E..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Another interview with a band from Italy. The music scene – not only the metal one – has a lot to offer and by this I do not mean stuff like Eros Ramazotti. So, how are you? Do you think I should cover even more bands from your country?'''<br> Hi oneyoudontknow, thanks for this opportunity. I think we're all fine..I'm not in close touch with one of the members but I don't have reasons to imangine things are going otherwise than "fine", and hope it too. I'll clear out this in the next question... anyway, as for the italian bands, I must confess that I've lost contact with the musical scene (any musical scene, in fact, not just the italian one) in 2005/2006 due to personal life evolution. I can point out just a bunch of names, the first my mind recalls : first of all Ras Algethi, a great inspiration with it's demo "Oblita Divinitas" (1993), in which one of our members played. Anyone who likes funeral doom should listen to that demo, it's unique and seminal. Then Enoch, funeral doom band in which two of our members played too. Another really good italian doom act is Malasangre. One band i listened to recently was Black Land, psychedelic stoner/doom. And let's not forget Ovskum... sick black/drone/doom. Obviuosly there's not just doom in the peninsula, but to throw in random names forgetting other good ones I can't recall wouldn't be fair, so I skip any further mentioning. I make an exception for Diorrhea, a grindcore band composed of talented personal friends, who often travel Europe devastating the audience with their musical fury, and who helped me with my musical projects many times.<br> '''Would you mind introducing the members a bit and what are your/their ‘original’ bands?'''<br> The "I" speaking in this interview is Giulio. I'll just tell that I'm a guy between 20 and 30 years old living in a small town in the countryside, who spreads his interests towards way too many topics, never being able to focus and go deeply, and tries to catch the meaning and dynamics of reality. No small task, with it's joys and sorrows. I have another band, "Distruzione di Massa", a Death/Grind solo project. Also, I have a second project with the members of Rostau, named "Zerfall". It's about old school death/doom, with a paticular use of keyboards.<br> The other members are my older brother Silvio, who has a clever, adaptive eye towards what happens around him and a way sharper skill to understand than mine. Nwadays he's living around the world gaining experience. He played drums in Ras Algethi, Enoch, Albireo and other bands. Finally there's Leo, a friend at first of my brother and then also mine. He's a talented keyboard player with a nice sense of humor, and he played in many bands : nowadays in Enoch, and probably other projects I don't know anything about. Both Silvio and Leo played with me in the Zerfall project.<br> '''What does Rostau refer to? From what I could make out it somehow deals with some secret rooms or pathways below the sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.'''<br> Rostau's translation is more or less "Mouth of the Passages". It's concept is that of the gate to the Duat, an afterlife realm in the ancient egyptian religion. it should be a place both in our world and in a region of the star sky. There are a lot of theories about it's existence in the form of chambers and corridors under the sphynx, as well as relating them to some secret chamber containing power or technology long lost. On another hand, it could be related to the way the Great Pyramid worked, as related to the journey of a soul. In these last years the topic has become one of those chaotic ones in which one unorthodox side arguments important revelations against the other one, that of the official academy and it's litarature. It's hard to form a true position as most of the proposed arguments are physically beyond direct verification by the reader, or too technical to be seriously examined. In example, I certainly don't know the ancient egyptian language anyway deeply (or superficially), so I have to take most of the data in the debate as it's offered. Anyway, the sheer concept inside that interpretation of the term "Rostau", that of gate, passage and related to the trascendetal, sufficiently symbolizes what the musical project wants to suggest.'''<br> '''What made you start Rostau and why did you release only this one album? As three members are involved and due to the peculiar nature of the project it seems natural to ask whether you all knew each other and have founded the band together?'''<br> Well, Rostau started as the first tries on my first guitar. I think it was 2003, in the warm, hugging gloom of the room I had in my parents' house. I had absolutely no tecnique, I just had this bulky instrument in hand and a whirlwind of "things" to express inside. I really didn't expect what I would have brought forth. I started playing the strings and tapping them, enjoying the sound, and began choosing what notes were good after the others, which rythms suited.. and so, after many randomly delayed days, I ended up with the first riff of "Celestial Hive Mind". I had no idea that one day it would have the form one can hear today on the cd. In fact, I didn't even expect it to develope and mix with other riffs to create a song. It was just a personal creation. Even if I knew it had absolutely no tecnical value for anyone who could actually play a guitar, it was simply touching and moving me. I found it beautiful, and highly "mine". Rostau was born that days, and it developed in the same way : I wanted to express myself for my personal enjoyment, so I continued trying, stringing one note after another, finding new sounds that touched me as mine and beautiful. The strange thing is that at that time I listened to very little doom metal. That was a death, brutal and grind time of my life. When i composed the riffs of the first demo of my other musical project, Distruzione di Massa, I just imagined and played them in my head, then recorded them by voice (the results would be really comic if anyone other than me could listen them : beyond Impaled Northern Moon Forest). Finally I transposed them patiently in notes and produced midi files, which i sent along with tabs to my fellows musicians. In some way, however, the first Rostau sound was what I came to express directly with a guitar in hand. The lack of any lesson with the instrument also influenced deeply my approach to music : I had no rules or scheme to what was and was not to do. The first riff in "Ahriman" was born just because one day I discovered that the last two strings created a neat vibration in a certain combination. I remember I stayed full minutes playing just those two notes, picking one string, then another, then the first, than the other, and so, and so, and so on. Even if the amplifier I was playing in was (and still is) a discount 15watt gadget, which came with the 100€ ebay guitar, I was wrapped in the sound. Then I began trying note combinations on the same frame, and the riff came to be. Another example of this is the first riff of "to die..". I tap no string with the fingers, just pick them. Any guitarist would probably say that i'm just not playing the instrument that way.. and in a certain sense they would be right. But hey! it worked. 3.33.333 was born taking this concept of indirect guitar playing to the extreme. I won't repeat here the precise genesis of that song, it's written in detail in one section of the website. So, to gloriously return to your question after this trip, Rostau had a long gestation beforn seeing daylight. Riffs accumulated, ideas developed, and "Celestial Hive Mind" guitars were completed. In 2004, after coming back from a summer festival in Germany, one day I feeled like writing some lyrics for it. Then, with still little voice after the round of concerts (viewed, not performed!), I recorded a first previews of what that lyric could effectively sound on the track. The sighing stile was natural due to my throat conditions.. and sounded pleasing. So pleasing, despite it needed some refining work, that I kept it. All these boring anecdotes are to point out why we released only one album and how three memebers were involved : "To die and to the Stars Ascend" was thought and recorded across years, grew with me, and had not been intended for publication till the last stages of its elaboration. I produced some music to express myself, that's all. Eventually, people who listened to it coinvinced me that it had potential, and it could be turned into a real album. A unique and non-conventional one. So I asked my brother Silvio and Leo to help me out with keyboards, to compose and record them. I knew that albums relying on the ideas from just one mind are somehow limited. Far more magic is generated from the clash of different wills. I asked them this perhaps in late 2006 or the begining of 2007, and we recorded in the last days of August, after 3.33.333 had already made it's appearance. The keyboards sounds are modified excerpts of that song. By this time also my ideas about the world changed, and they did it drastically in march 2007. After the recording of the album I developed the artwork, joining together the various "ideological" aspects that had sedimented through the years in the project, and gave them unity. There's some tension in the album, being it the compression in a single piece of different and sometimes opposing forces. Just to say one or two, the low fi, analogic, old school sound of guitars and vocals joined with the digital and "mathematical" sound of the keyboards, or the union of a fictional, sci-fi fantasy elements such as Warhammer 40k and numerologic, philosophical, historical and esoteric hints. This tension symbolizes my personal evolution, while the unique recording and processing circumstances generated the sound of the album. Both these factors cannot be reproduced. So the ipothethical next Rostau album would not be anyway similar to the first one. People put albums under the same band name in comparison, building up hit parades, that in this specifical case would be pointless. It would be the same as to assign a mark and make a chart of life stages : any one of them had it's context, it's causes, it's synchronous and diachronic meaning. That doesn't mean that the inspiration behind Rostau will produce no more. Perhaps we'll have to wait another 5 years or more, but it could emerge again and show up under another name. '''On your homepage you have written that the music has been recorded over the span over several years. I wonder how you keep the attention and the interest over such a long period. Was it difficult to motivate yourself to proceed with this project? Did you ever reach a point in which it all became too much and you just wanted to get it over with?'''<br> I anticipated something about this question in the preceding one : I had no need to keep attention, to focus, as it was a personal search, a personal enjoyment. Also, as I said before I'm not one who keeps for too long or too deeply on something without feeling the urge to explore something else. Interest in Rostau grew or exstinguished over the years, and this was perfectly acceptable as I had no pressure except the one coming from myself.. and I pleased that pressure whenever it visited me. It also had an intriguing feeling to take again something left behind with a new mind, enriched by time passing and collected experience. It let me build a more complicated structure around single simple points coming from different moments. This changed only in the final stages of the production of the album. At some point I decided I wanted to conclude it and give it a stable, finished form. In that period I focused more, and felt some times of tireness. The worst part was the physical production of the cd : the music was already there and, beside the thrill of giving your work birth, the sheer procudure was sometimes annoying, expecially regarding the printing process of the digipack. There are many aspects, both technical and "burocratical", that a non-professional like me finds quite laboriuos. There had been many things, both musical and physical, I would have wanted to further polish, but I grew tired and went on with the final print.<br/> '''Did you always had this special sound and kind of arrangement in the back of your head or did this evolve over time? What had been the original intentions behind this band or album? What was it that you wanted to create?'''<br> Was this that I wanted to create? that's an hard question. That's something the variuos mes through time wanted to be that way. None of them would have liked everything in the sound or the other facets of the album, but in the end I liked it very much, even with it's flaws and contradictions. Moreover, mostly the sound was compelled by the technical equipment I had at disposal : a small amplifier, a chep guitar, zero to low musicianship, a mall-quality microphone, and a pc. But I liked it, and after some audio processing I found it evocative and intimate enough. The arrangement in particular wasn't even imaginable at the beginning of the experience. It grew as I grew, as I metabolized more music and developed new ideas in any related branch of knowledge.. literature, music, phylosophy, and so on. The keyboards expecially were a very late introduction, and sprinkled from reflections about the fullness and completeness of the overall sound and richness of the music. United with a last-hour "melodic" guitar in the title track, they even surprised me with the final effect, and now the music coverd many more frequencies, gaining variety and adding the tension I mentioned before regarding the two main classes of sounds, old school and mathematical. '''Aside from the conceptual aspect that is discussed below extensively, the musical one is interesting as well. There are a lot of influences from the drone and doom genre, while the compositions are generally rather minimalist. Why did you pick such a ‘reduced’ approach? How would you in your own words describe Rostau’s art?'''<br> Minimalism wasn't something I aimed to. As I said, the composition of the songs grew bit by bit, first through the aggregating process of basical elements, then by accumulating other single lines over the basis. In the late stages, I reached a point when music expressed everything I felt with the just the elements already merged. The overall minimalism simply is the result of this communicative goal. Sometimes the richness of arrangements interfere with this focal aspect of music. Sometimes you listen to perfectly produced, neatly executed and fully arranged music, and feel very little emotions through it. That's a try to cover a lack of seed inspiration hoping to surprise or hypnotize the listener through baroque constructions, or throwing in well-estabilished stylistic elements. Obviously I don't think that's always the case when encountering richly arranged music, and neither I'm an extremist fan of minimalism. I'm a fan of music which conveys feelings, emotions, suggestions.. That's how Rostau was born, and the goal I had in mind. At first, simple personal expression, then the same thing slightly bent to fulfill the general feel the basic elements made blink in me. Don't let me be misunderstood, I'm far from thinking the result is perfect. If it was, everything in it would be "poetry", as in Croce's aesthethic theories (which refere to literature, but could fit well also to music). Instead, there's still a lot of "structure". That's just my attempt, I hope the balance between the two favours the first. The title track is somehow interesting. The longer it progresses the fewer elements and facets appear until at the end everything closes with some form of silence. At last, one might say, the soul is able to leave this world and drift off into a different place. Did you always wanted to create such an experience? Was this an idea that you had in the back of your head right from the start? Absolutely not. The title track took it's final form very late, but very quickly. One could say that the experience created itself through me. It's not a process I can describe in an intellective manner. After the recording of the keyboards, listening and filing the sound, the idea of a deep meaning inside it blinked in my mind. That's the way of inspiration, I think. As inconscius as it was, it had some force. And as forces, as the old gods of the myth, it is a seed manifesting itself in many ways, all related. As for the general concept of the album, it has no univocal intepretation. It can be seen as many things, and none of them would be wrong. It has hints and suggestions, and one could see the journey of the sould from flesh to the parting moment, while another could visualize the gloom behind a column in an ancient desert temple, as shamans are calmly performing a ritual. Both ways are right, they are different and still could be related, they could be the expression of the same seed. What I wrote in the website is just one, the strongest of my views of it. That interpratation came after music, according to the nature of this work. The energy of non-rational expressed by music is shaped and ordered by the a subsequent moment, both by feeling and mind. That's why any way to feel the album is right, the collapsing equilibrium of the album is the form gave by me in 2008 facing something that, having evolved for long time, was somehow external. In particular, the song was initially composed of the first two sequencies. As you noticed, it proceeds evolving towards something calm, opaque, silent. The central part, that I found dramatic or even tragic, sparkled the view of death occurring, while the rest of the song had a feel of melancoly and loneliness, feelingsappropriate to the dying. The first part felt hypnotic and touching, holding a desire of meaning, a slight, sub limine question about where..what.. why. I decided to meld in the last part: like you say, a different place. That satisfied many needs, from the variety of the musical aspect, passing through the adding of a worrying hope after the melacoly of the preceeding of the music, to the fulfilling of the numerological symbol in it's duration. According to my exploration of the astral travel experience, I have found that it can occur in, as to say, two directions, like the axis of the cartesian plane. The horizontal axis, in this view, is the journey through our physycal dimension, while the vertical one is about moving to other planes. The last part of the song could represent the lingering of the soul just beyond death, contemplating quietly it's mortal shell and still remembering with a sweet smile what the carnal experience was, now distant and forgiven. Just a few moments, before pointing to the stars and journeying throug the void , free to explore and feel joy, or being attracted by some force, by fate, by cosmic laws... who knows? Anyway in this section of the album the soul it's still in the "horizontal" direction of travel. Sadness seems to be a core aspect of the album, at least this was an impression that I gained while listening to it. In seems natural to find such, because topics like "loss and death” are often dealt in such a way in the Western civilization. Is there no hope to break out of it? Has our culture some sort of pathological fixation on death and tries to celebrate this depressing mood in a countless varieties? I think that fear of death, horror before self disgregation and the end, are basical anthropological feelings innate in a being able to reflect on itself and the bewildering loss of it's kin. It seems to me that these feelings are rooted in every culture. The liberation from these thoughts comes through many means, both spiritual and intellectual. We should also distinguish between levels in culture and civilization. We could say that Western civilization has it's roots in Mesopothamic and Egyptian cultures. The epic of Gilgamesh conveys a strong, desperate feeling of sadness about the mortality of men, while in Egypt we found many hopes pointing to an afterlife, even happyness in it. Greeks too had precise views about life beyond death, expressed in their mythic cicles, but their culture also produced Epicureism, and it's calm disillusion about anything beyond the disgregation of body and soul in their corresponding heavy and thin atoms, which swirl again to form new entities. This brief schetch could go on a lot (and I don't think I'm able to draw a comprehensive or deep summary) : the point is that those ideas never reached a vast amount of people. Even talking about a single capital cultural event for the western world, as Christianity, we range from the frightened chanting peasant to the elaborations of st Augustine of Hippo, just to focus the late ancient period. On the other side, vikings hailed glorious death and embraced it with joy; romans gladly sacrificed themselves for the wellness of the Res Publica, stoicists proudly suicided when there was no way to live reasonably. But these are all generic views, strict summaries, not accounting the intimate feelings of billions of human beings through history. So we could state that how death is regarded in a sample population depends on the type and penetration strenght of a given culture, and on this culture's view about the topic. Where that culture can't reach to, the original sense of fright and loss prevails. That said, I agree when you state that, generically speaking, modern western culture is fixated in these motives and expresses them almost univocally through sorrow, fear and so on. I know Eastern culture just superficially, and cannot say what are the feelings about death of the majority of people born in that context. Through ages, man has tried to ease discomfort, and the generic western civilization started, from a moment on, to focus almost solely on technology to ease the pain. "You're doing it wrong", would some demotivational say. In the XVIII century, the cult of reason cleared the fog of superstition, leaving a barren landscape to be seen. The devaluation of anything that couldn't be measured and numbered, anything that wasn't explainable through the strict use of the intellect, struck a severe blow to the connection with the divine, already weakening after the Medieval Age. An italian poet, Leopardi, evolved through pessimism, from personal, to historical-anthorpological, to cosmic. The solution was ataraxy, something way easier to search than to acquire. Even considering Romanticism, neo-idealism and so on, it seems that materialism and pragmatism are still among the dominant concepts that lead western culture in the modern age. And getting back to the question of the levels in culture and civilization, talking about contemporary western mass culture would be simply afflicting. No surprise if nowadays, generically speaking, death (personal death, not other's.. that would require extremely long and complex disquisitions) is expressed through sorrow. But there's plenty of hope to find both inside and outside anyone - and according to some belief systems, both directions are just the same. Coming to Rostau, it's true that one could feel sadness leaking out across the listening. I pointed out many times that the core inspiration came out by iteself, the basis of the music wasn't planned rationally to be so. Then I enphasized or changed what I felt had to, according to the theme the core sounds inspired me. For example, Celestial Hive Mind indeed communicates cold sadness and deep melancoly. It has nothing to do with death though, in fact it involves the opposite : an intellect existing only to consume and absorb, until nothing in the universe will be apart from it. The act of eating never fulfilled by satisfaction. And then, after everything is Tyranid and nothing alse lives, what? terrible solitude, deep void of meaning, only the well-known growing hunger. I wouldn't label "Ahriman.." as sad, I would prefere "tragic", in the ancient greek tragedy acception. The tragedy of an unspeakable act of treason and genocide as a proud, cynic and feverish solution to a taint considered worst, an act - in the mind of Ahriman - embraced as impossible to avoid. I spoke in another question about "To die.." and it's compromise between sweet tears and shivering hopes, and then there's 3.33.333, which I still find somehow enigmatic. Could be hope, but there's some subterranean feeling of uneasiness and worry, prevailing and exploding with the last sound. '''Is 3 33 333 some sort of a final electronic requiem for a dying race? The last sound that will leave the world and enter the vastness of space, maybe recorded at some point in the future by a distant alien race. Could this be final music of this planet?'''<br> As i found during my studies, smart or innocent critique always find meanings and nuances that even the author would have never imagined. As long as there is something effectively detectable that gives a basis to the argumentation, the interpretation cannot be told wrong. That's even more true in a work like this. We're not talking about a didascalic poem, we're talking about allusive music. That said, I hope the final music of this race will be a joyful laugh, even if the idea of the electronic requiem tickles the Imp of Perverse in me, as Poe figured it. I had absolutely no intent of sort when I produced 3.33.333. It was pure experimentation, it didn't even was meant to be a song. But when placed in the context, after the final work of concept-structuring, it generates a host of different images, sensations, "trips". My personal view, the reason why I put it in that place, in that form, ending the album after "to die..", is one of hope and exploration, which could occurr after the separation of the spirit from matter. I said "could": the mentioned underlying feeling of worry expresses the uncertanity both of the ipothethic soul journeying through time-space and of the listener reflecting on what could be after death. The final sound leaves a shiver full of questions, and then there's plenty of silence to start answering. '''What kind of instruments and equipment were used for the recording?'''<br> I hinted before that the equipment at disposal was mostly entry-level. I had a cheap guitar plugged in a cheap amplifier, with no pedals. The microphone too was inexpensive, I bouth it in a tech store. Recordings were made directly into my pc.. Nowadays I use a Terratech phase 88 sound card, but at that time I think it was a simple soundblaster live. Recordings as well as post processing were accomplished through the Audition 1.5 program united with some plugins. Keyboards were also taken directly through pc, using a digital sampler, Kontakt, played on the pc keyboard using sounds taken from 3.33.333. For the drums I used the same sampler, sounds from the Drumkit From Hell and midi. I didn't mention it before : I think it's clearly hearable, drums are digital and not actually human-perfomed. I studied drums for a couple of years, and never liked drum machines or trigger sounds. The drum lines which are now on the album were meant to be temporary, but recordings proved too arduous given the situation. I tried to work out it's sounds to be as warm as I could, and the result is satisfying enough. The sound resulting on the album was therefore somehow compelled by the situation. I'll note, however, that I prefere old school, warm-feeling equipment to top quality. I prefere 80's and 90's sound also in the music I listen to, finding the ultra perfect sound you hear nowadays in any production too sterile and cold, too perfect. That's one reason why on the last Ep of my other project, Distruzione di Massa, I used an old walkman cassette recorder to take vocals, even if I could have used a minidisk or the microphone directly plugged in the pc through a mixer. Also, I absolutely prefere human errors and musician's intention to digitally obtained mathemathical precision. Even with better equipment the sound on the album would have been different, but with similar characteristics. '''How many rehearsal sessions took place for it; if you can still count them?'''<br> In the strict sense of the expression, implying people playing together in a reharsal room, none. '''You wrote to me that the music of Rostau cannot be enjoyed "straight out of the box". Why is this so?'''<br> We live in hasty times and time is money, so people might not want to explore such a complex topic like you present it on your release. I'll quote an email I sent some time ago on this very topic :<br> "I know the album is quite cryptic and cannot be fully enjoyed "straight out of the box". This was indeed meant to be. The album took many years to develop and gain it's final form. It's the fruit of many layers of passion overlapping each other, the fruit of time, experience, growth, change. I don't care about fame, so no full names, photos or detailed information were included. The music isn't probably pleasing to untrained or unprepared ears, to superficial listenings, but - and this is the central point of the question - it can gift so much if properly explored. It contains a tension in itself, a tension to explore, to find out more, to perceive the next nuance in the keyboards or just another suggestion from the atmosphere. It calls the intrigued listener to go further in the music. Still, I'm not so presumptuous to think that everyone will have the interest in doing it. And I have never been a self-advertising guy, so no links, no long texts about ideas, concepts, and music inside the album.[...]. So, to make a long story short, I left to the initiative of anyone who hears the call to explore coming from the album to find a rich prize. That's what sincere albums pull to do, and if anyone finds "to die.." to be so, even a very few people around the world, I'll feel pleased enough." And what you say about time is so painfully true, nowadays. It's getting worse year after year, noticeably. The "system" is any day more complex, and if you slow the pace a little, one hundred other sharks will outswim you. And then you freeze in the depth. And that's not the only facet of the problem : the musical world is getting simply too crowded. Anyone can make music through simple means, like I did. But too much variety ends up in confusion. I found out recently, trying to spread the last Ep of Distruzione di Massa, that standard reviews, found on generic metal websites, are nowadays short and superficial, compared to what they were in 2004/2005. One very good italian webzine I knew, Shapeless Zine, partly shutted down recently : they used to review demos and underground albums, as well as bigger names, but they had to stop receiving any material at all, as the effort of reviewing deeply and through real and metabolised listening had gotten simply impossible. It's hard even to the fanatic to disentangle from the overwhelming mass of potentially good music constantly coming out, without sacrificying the real listening experience, which should be feeling the music instead of grinding an album after another of slightly different tunes. Internet offers samples, that's true.. but considering the amount mentioned before, one risks to end up collecting a huge library of isolated songs. I know many people who have their hard disks full of albums: many of them never get a chance to be listened at all, and other stand still after one 3-song-spin or two. On the other hand, many people can enjoy music that way. I am one who tends to fossilize on the same album for a long time. I rememeber listening to Farmakon everyday for about two years, and that album frequently comes out of the speaker today, too. That's simply a way to experience music, I have many friends who can listen deeply retaining a lot of variety. The chances someone will end up enjoying "To die.." at such dept is slim, I perfectly know it. But as said, I prefere a bunch of people who feel that it's music is communicating with them and feel the pull to understand more, than selling every copy of the album to people who will leave it to dust after one absent-minded try. Exactly as I would do in person, as that album is the expression of human beings. '''To Die and to the Stars Ascend, this is the title of the release, but why do you think that in the vastness of space lies the salvation? Hell, Gehennah, Hades and the like are different examples and point in a different ‘direction’.'''<br> Just as you say, it's a direction. I scattered delucidations on my view of existance in various answers to your acute questions, so I'll try not to repeat myself. Space is vast, and the manifestations of existence are incredibly vaster. Or so it seems. Infernal world has been conceived in a great number of beliefs, from an archaic realm physically lying under the surface of earth to one fold of the universe where rejected buds of creation end up. On another axys of analysis, some say that our physical world is hell, because it's dominated by disgregation, one low state compared to higher forms of existence. So what is salvation, and how to accomplish it? the concept of salvation itself is hooked to human cathegories, such as absence of pain (another human cathegory), as many wouldn't call "salvation" the simple fact of continuing to exist, if this existence is in "hell". And still, salvation could in fact be that, and an iphothethical life in hell just a stopping place with it's own cathegories of perception. We could also evaluate the concept of evolution, binding the term "salvation" to a virtual ascension through it's stages, while "damnation" could be involution, or perhaps the inability to further evolve. We could also refere to quantic vibrations in one's soul, or one's true self. I think that there may be forces and actions in our physical universe that can leave a mark in the trascendental origin of a specific person, changing it's "colour", or "vibration", and influencing the way existance is perceived and the peculiar state it's lived in. The final goal could be completness, and completness could mean the identification of oneself into the principle of existance. Or it could be constant evolution, constant change, the way the one self of the universe experiences and knows itself through the mutable and the fragmented. Or our very human existance could even be the manifestation of a lesser order of forces (like, in example, solar system ones), a sector of the creation lower in hyerarchy respect to the only one principle - but still comprehended in that principle. In a complex and uncertain panorama like this, anyone is called to choose and form his view, and act accordingly; and even believing in nothing is still believing in something. '''When you read books of Thoreau for instance, then you recognize the wide array of his knowledge in terms of old literature and mythology. Such seems to have been lost today. Do you think that this is a bad thing and are you familiar with your own cultural literal heritage?'''<br> Myth are tales containing great power. There are many ways to interprete them, and they were an incredibly ancient vehicle of knowledge, a way to understand the nature and the universe. As such, they were symbols epitomizing the comprehension of stars and life cycles. Also, myths' story is very long, starting from the very ancient tales about the cosmos and the symbolic transmission of ethno-political facts. Facts such as the second millenium a.c invasions in the greek area, symbolized by the distruction of beasts (which on their turn embodied the cosmic and religious conceptions of some human stoks) by gods, embodiments of the new systems and dominant elites taking over the former ones. But then the myth was also philosophical speculation, literature and more. It is possible to give a punctual alchemic interpretation of Greek and Egyptian myths (and many more, considering that resemblances and underlying themes associate numerous traditions); myths feeded western literature for a great number of centuries, and sparkled wide-range speculations over human knowledge, from psycology to physics. Notice that scientific western terms derive from the ancient Greek and Latin language; language both expresses and shapes cultures, and those cultures relied deeply on myths. It's certainly bad that nowadays knowing myths is considered needless, even just for their pull to reflection and reality interpretation, if not considering the factual knowledge they carry. On the other hand, today's world is frenetical, and that which doesn't offer an immediate and tangible benefit is low-valued. I myself can't surely say to posses but lightly the mythological heritage of my culture, even if I deal with it now and them, as I study letters and philosophy at the university and being interested in topics related to mythology. Right these days I'm studying some episodes of Ovid's Metemorphoses, and it's fashinating to see how the implied power in myths finds new forms and blends into new realities with the passing of centuries, mirror and veichle of the time in which they keep letting their charge flow. Even considering the sheer influence on literature from the ancient world to the modern one, and considering that literature and culture walk together, we cannot think possible to understand our world completely ignoring the nature and content of myths. A core aspect of your music as well as the concept behind Rostau seems to be the transition from the living to the dead, from the physical basis to the transcendental one. Well, as even Plato wrote about it several thousand years ago, it seems to an aspect that mankind or the philosophers have thought about extensively. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know why it is so important to you. I'm deeply convinced that the physical world isn't the only one this universe is made of, and so I am that the material existence we call life isn't the only state a person can experience. Time and space are cathegories that appear stable, but just the experience of dreaming can easily lead to think differently. I believe that material death isn't an end, but a passage. We are part of an "everything", a manifestation of a unique source in a plane of existance, and as such, we are like an atom of a body of inconceivable complexity. I know this isn't fresh news. The central node of the question is whether a creature gifted with conscience can retain it through the stages of mutation, or not. Obviously there are hints all around us pointing towards both answers, and that's why so many people through history struggled in search of an answer. Personally, I think the universe (or better, omniverse) is far more complex than we can imagine, and something that people phylosophically reasoning tend to ignore is that between the supreme origin of anything that exists and our material experience could lie a host of different kinds of existance. Before the "light of God" we could see us under the laws of the solar system and it's powers, seeing us as shards of the essence of Tiamat knowing itself through our fragmented lives, or we could hypotesize that after death one wakes up in another kind of existence, either assuming a cyclic return to the material plane or a linear course through states, evolving. Ovidio's Methamorphosis is a vast poetical celebration of transition, each mutation is both a death and the birth of a new existence, expressed through myth and history. An essence changing form and still being the same principle, with a different material manifestation and with changed attributes in it's trascendetal form. I'm far from having answers, and I keep adjusting or changing my view as my experience grows. So many different traditions and systems could also be different expressions of the same complex truth, and this reminds me of the concept that the various religions are just the expression of the same mystic principle, the philosophia perennis. And still, this is all so limited, so human. Thomas Aquinas, after all his life of deep theological work, stated "mihi videtur ut pula" : everything I wrote seems to me like straw. Recently I've been evaluating the theories according to which a person is one of the physical manifestations of a "true self" which exists beyond the physical dimension, whose pull is to evolve through variuos incarnations. And still metempsicosis could be a partial view, not taking in account the possible existence of many layers between "physical" and "trascendetal". The concept of time we are wrapped into limits our ability to think, in this case. And we should also consider that "thinking" isn't but one way of acquiring concepts, and surely a limited one. Anyway, to go back to your question, I see the problem of life beyond death as fundamental, something not to be skipped, and I live my life accordingly, trying to never forget it's implications and trying to view things from it's peculiar wide angle. '''Two other topics are the Warhammer 40K universe and Ahriman. Could you elaborate why these have sparked your interest and the reasons for picking them?'''<br> Since I was very young, i was fashinated by the universe of warhammer 40k, it was so crude, real, poetic and tragic. I was charmed by the vastness of the context, our entire galaxy and even other ones, I was thrilled by the struggle of mankind and the display of technology whose real use was forgotten since millenia, and were created and manteined by prayers and rituals whose intimate meaning was recognized no more. I found out later that many stories which form up that universe had allegoric meaning or hidden referrals to our world's cultures. Just in example, the divinized mainteining rituals remind me of the Carmen Saliare, chanted by Salii priests during a May procession every year, and which were not intelligible by historic age Romans who heard them.. Many years ago I was an enthusiastic player of the tabletop game when I had the occasion, but mostly read the manuals thirsty for their stories and the worlds evoken. In the first time of Rostau, I was browsing a forum related to the game, and found a topic about songs having warhammer40k as inspiration. I caressed the idea of making my own ones and posting them, and that desire inspired the lyrics of Celestial Hive Mind. I never had the occasion to effectively post any news about the song when the album was published many years after, but in the meantime came Ahriman of the Thousand Sons. He's story is one of my favourites, I'm enchanted by the context of his Legion devoted to knowledge and study, which lead them on the forbidden path of knowledge. When they divined that the Horus Heresy was about to break out, they tried to inform the Emperor about the treason, but he didn't listen, as they trespassed their Pillars of Hercules. From their point of view, the Emperor betrayed them, while he unleashed the savage Space Wolves to destroy their libraries, legion and planet. Joining Horus and the powers of Chaos seemed the only option, and when the war was lost, they retired in the Eye of Terror. Living so exposed to the forces of unstableness lead them to mutation, and so Ahriman took his decision : another betrayal, towards his own brothers. His Rubric spell destroyed every Thousand Son lacking psychical powers, reducing their bodies to ashes, nullifying their minds and sealing their spirits in their armours. Psykers like him and the excellence of the Legion were cleansed from the taint of chaos, and had their powers enhanced. Magnus, their primarch, banished him from their planet in the Eye of Terror, and Ahriman wander the galaxy since then, plotting and pursuing his schemes. That's touching and deep, and when I had a first basis for the song, I used the story's suggestions to build it around the climax of the Ahriman spell. The macro-concept in the album came later, through various stages of elaboration, and I decided to keep these themes to create a unique thematic balance involving ideas and suggestions from different spheres of thought. Anyone can interpete this as he founds appropriate, my personal view is quite complex, sprinkled from my own exploration on the world of dreams and lucid dreams. Dreams are neither stable nor physical. However they have their relative dimensions of time and space. "Somewhere", they are. Experiencies in dreams affect the one living them, they're just a different kind of information and effect respect to the experience in physical world. Veraciuos dreams leave a memory. The most realistic ones involve many human senses, and I remember clearly the air caressing my body from the variuos times I flew trough it. These memories aren't very different from memories collected through physical experience of the world. I just know that they happened in a different plane than the physical one. This led me to think about the wolds of invention as instable forms existing or having existed in some fold of the complex universe of ours (as any thought, in it's peculiar way of being). Who knows, in another state of existence, a soul could end up travelling through one such world. That's just a suggestion, I don't take this as a stable point in my conception of reality. I have no truths in hand, and have evolved my view many times. However, when reaching a high control of lucid dreaming, theorically it could be possible to create, in example, a shard of the universe of warhammer 40k and act in it. Technically the context would be created by you (you don't end up in a context thought by another person), but the lucid and rational point of the iceberg would journey in a setting generated by the inconscious, and therefore unpredictable. And nonetheless, such a dream would be part of the experiences of the dreamer, shaping his reality and essence, and "existing", as the universe is a vast light filtered through the prism of anyone's self, anyone being the principle of his own peculiar reality. We could imagine that the reality of the soul in 3.33.333 includes a 40k experience, and that the first two songs are expressions of some facets of that experience. '''On the former issue: do you play it as table deck and/or in the computer version? I have merely played the computer versions so far, but I have to admit that this had been a lot of fun. It seems like a very cruel and brutal universe; a place with little mercy.'''<br> I started playing the tabletop version after having been interested for long time in the background of the warhammer 40k universe, and after starting painting miniatures. With the passing of years various pc games came out related to that world; the first one i put my hand on was SPace Hulk : an atypical first person shooter with a strong tactical component set in a specifical setting carved out of the whole : the exploration of giant space wrecks, known as Hulks, by Blood Angels' Terminators. The potential discovery of ancient forgotten technology lead to the discovery of the genestealer and chaotic infestation in the Hulks. It was very claustrophobic, set in labyrinths of narrow corridors where the bulky terminator armours of the space marines had troubles maneuvering, while an unlimited number of the insect like genestealers rushed to you and your squad from everywhere. I remember I was thrilled and charmed by the atmosphere of the game, tense and desperate. You could hear the other squadmates screaming and swearing vengeance in the radio, and at those times (something like 1995) that was something incredible. Nowadays the boardgame version of Space Hulk is the only thing I still play, along with Battlefleet Gothic (a tabletop battle of starships, intricate and stunningly refined. And the miniatures are awesome). Then, on pc, I played intensly to Chaos Game. The most bugged pc game ever, it was far more similar to the tabletop version. It too had a great atmosphere, very pleasing for the scenarios, the tactical system and... well, the possibility to command a loyal transposition of space marines in a long and structured campaign! I would paly it still today, if i had time and could manage to get it working. Then came Dawn of War. This last game, while spectacular and amusing, reflects the more cinematographic nature of the games evolution through the years. The old material was more mature and "shaded" and soffused, far richer in starting points to raise the thoughts view to our-world tematics. The emotions it provoked were deeper and less black-and-white. The whole had a less pompous and superficial taste, it wasn't child-oriented, and from that period come the most intriguing core ideas of the system. Necrons are perhaps the better product of the recent period with their Gods, the C'tan, cosmic entities that once feeded on stars. Then, called by a dying race and seducted into living metal bodies, they discovered the pleasures of flesh and started to have a testa for living essences as food. Deceived by one of them, and an Eldar God, the Great Arlequin, they found that the most deliciuos essence in the universe was that of another C'Tan. They destroyed themselves in a fratricidal genocide, till only four of them remained, powerful and very different in nature. Anyway, what you say is true : It's a brutal and mercyless universe, where the life of the individual has no value, and where the survival of the race (almost every race : to tell the truth, some of them like the Tyranids don't care about it at all) justifies any means. A very delicate balance of constant war in a depersonalizing galaxy-wide horizon. Just in example, there's the Golden Throne : a gargantuan machinery devoted to the survival of the mortal shell of the Immortal Emperor God of Mankind, that once walked among "us". Wounded to the threshold of death by his genetically generated son Horus (in a rebellion that echoes the one of the biblical Lucifer), he has been sustained for 10 000 years, so that his spirit can be anchored to the material plane. The Golden Throne is nourished by the constant sacrifice of human psykers, whose soul is consumed so that the spirit of the Emperor can keep assisting and guiding mankind. The psyker themself, on the other hand, are gathered across the galaxy by the Black Ships of Inquisition, since they threaten the human race with their genetic deviance, their uncontrolled powers and their being potential portals for the demons of the warp. The strongest and most talented ones are trained to serve mankind, the majority is immolated for the same cause. '''Aside from the concept and also the tracks appear in a rather surprising style: The first 3 songs were produced to be precisely 11.01.111, while the last was 3.33.333. (Total playing time : 36.36.666) [quote from the homepage]<br> I guess this might leave people a little bit bewildered. Why this extreme precision and what is the meaning behind this numerical code?'''<br> At first the idea came by chance, as for the rest of the album. The first two songs ended up being 11.01.xxx minutes long, and having already elaborated part of the life, death and resurrection ideas behind the concept, I decided to add a further piece of the puzzle. Always fashinated by numerology, I picked the occasion to extend the suggestions of the album : in the duality between 1 and 0, one represent fullness, the essence, while zero the void, the absence. In a context like that of the album, which could suggest a vision of the universe as a manifestazion of perfect fullness discovering itself in the fragmentation, the flawed series of ones (11.01.111) can symbolize the conscient being in it's experiential dimension : removing the flaw, that is the absence, only the essence remains, perfection. 3 is traditionally related to the divine and perfection, and by summing the 1s of the three manifestations of man (body, mind and soul) we get three times 3, with a 3 graphically added in any repetition (3.33.333). The implications on the musical plane are that the first three songs represent a material and corporeal experience, so comprising the flaw, and at the end of "To Die.." you enter in the dimension of the transcendental beyond, in 3.33.333. '''The artwork of the CD contains also several interesting symbols. You have a version of the ‘Eye of Providence’, several Egyptian hieroglyphs and some sort of a constellation. Some hints can be found on your homepage, but I would like to discuss this a bit:<br> Who is Senenmuth? Why did you pick him and did he play an important role in the ancient Egypt? How does Orion fit into this?'''<br> Senemuth was a high dignitary, astronomer and architect during the 16th or 18th dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He gained great power and influence, then he fell in disgrace. On the ceiling of his second tomb, the secret TT353, there's the first complete star map in history, a lot of time before the one by Sethi I. This star map is obviously imbued of mythologic symbology, and one of it's halves shows various figures, gods and men, sailing on small boats across the void. One of the most striking elements is the presence of three drop-like signs around the central star in the Orion's Belt. According to what we know about that time's technology, it was impossible that they were seen, but we now know (since the 70s, if i recall correctly) that there are effectively three planets around that star. The drop-like signs could represent as many planetary orbits. This all suggests fashinating implications, if verified. More information can be found in this link<br> http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/personen/senenmut/sen_t353.htm, or searching TT353 (the code of the tomb). '''Who is Roger Essig? Can write a bit about your reasons for picking his ‘God 1’ work?'''<br> I found God_1, the painting by Roger Essig, browsing the art vault of www.erowid.org. I didn't know him before and know little about him still nowadays, but I found that work very fashinating and contacted him to ask permission to use it for the album. I choose it because it depicts very well the concept of a weaved material world, a complex warping channel emanating from a single source. It's hypnotic nature and the graceful intersection of lines, united with the balance of colours, made me think it was perfect to convey the ideas of trascendental, branched and interconnected, and journey. From that basis I made the artwork grow to encompass other themes, such as tyranids, chaos and those suggestions from Senemuth's Tomb I spoke earlier of. The whole, as it should now be clear, doesn't want to convey a focused ideology or belief system, but rather an accumulation of possibilities and interrupted paths, Holzwege, using an Heidegger's term. '''Why ‘remove the flaw’?'''<br> See the earlier question about the timing of the songs. '''How have the responses been so far? Have you been able to reach out to a certain amount of folks?'''<br> No. I tried to spread the album a bit, but I'm much more prone to create something than to make it known to others. I found that I isolated too much, I lost the contacts I had in the musical scene before, and anyway had none in the doom scene. I sent the album to some labels for trades and distribution, and had a review published on doom-metal.com. After that review and the entry in metal-archives.com, some people contacted me personally to have the cd, and many more downloaded the album from our official website www.rostaudoom.com. Almost every response I had so far was very positive : I'm proud to say that "To die.." is certanly an atypical album, one which can raise interest. Surely It's not an easy-listening work, and also considering it's many flaws, I simply don't expect many people to really like it. The ones who did so far, however, found it captivating and personal. Some said "it is an album that takes time to grow" and that it " is unique. but you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it". All of these aspects are true, and I find this a compliment to the work, a confirmation of it's non-banality. Rather than selling all the copies, I was hoping to spring emotions and thoughts, and the sincere compliments I received from some people already fulfilled this desire. Someone suggested me to contact promotion agencies, but not only I don't know any, also I'm not sure I'm willing to give away the managment of the album and pay for that.. as a symbol of a part of my life, I think I prefere the personal and private contact with those who found it interesting, or spreading it in the underground, the place flourishing with passion we know. I want to add something interesting I found out right in the very last days : Rostau's songs can be found as videos on some site. I discovered this while googling. None ask me a thing, but that's not a problem itself.. I still don't like this contemporary tendency. Not only I'm an old school listener who still plays some vinyls now and then, but most importantly this album is crated to be listened from start to end. It should be a voyage, create an atmosphere, and the carved single songs loose much of their charm. Also, the infromation readable about the band is sometimes wrong or misleading. Anyway, it's still a sign of appreciation, and under that point of view I'm glad of it. '''Is there a chance that you start another experimental group? Or do you want to concentrate on something more metal oriented and less ‘fancy’?'''<br> For some years I concentrated on my other project, Distruzione di Massa. As said, it is surely more metal oriented. It also retains some "fancyness", the last EP opens with a song about knowledge whose lyrics are taken directly from the chant XXVI° from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, and it ends with Lucido, a "didascalic" song about Lucid Dreaming containing some dream recordings I took during my studies on that topic, narrating and descripting sensations and emotions. Although i'm still playing and recording something, my life as gotten rather busy and took different paths, so I'm not planning anything certain on the experimental side, nowadays. Although, I would really like to try again the experience. The last project I was working on was Zerfall, playing an old school Death-Doom with slightly experimental keyboards, and based on a concept about two galaxies collapsing one into another, and the futile struggle of the seemingly powerful civilizations in them. '''What kind of music do you listen to generally? Could you name some albums that you have enjoyed very recently?'''<br> I listen to some funeral doom, and a lot of old school death metal. Tides of Awakening and Black Vistae by Tyranny, the last album by Esoteric, Worship, the whole Skepticism discography, Mournful Congregation, Ras Algethi, and some more, united with albums from death metal bands I traded with distros thanks to the last DDM ep, like Pathogen, or big names and albums like Exstintion by Lemming Project, Phobos by Voivod (I'm crazy for this one!), Grave, Entombed, Obituary, Pestilence and so on. I listen also to some stoner and stoom, mostly early Black Sabbath, Sleep, Amerijuanican by Bongzilla.. And I wouldn't know where to place them, but recently I put on Given to the Rising from Neurosis, too. Anyway the genre I play the most is ambient. I extensively listen to Lustmord (mostly The place where the stars hang and Arecibo), Neptune Towers (both Caravans to Empire Agol and Transmission from Empire Algol). Also I listen a lot to Jon Hassel, a trumpet player creating something I would call jazz-based ambient, although probably experts on that branch of music wouldn't label it so. It's an incedibly fashinating music, the album I'm spinning these days is Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street (2009). To keep it on the non-metal side, I'm not ashamed to say that I listen a lot to the old albums by Elisa, an italian singer-songwriter. She played pop in the rock and trip-hop forms, and her voice and lyrics, expcecially in some old or not very known songs (like A Beautiful Night, Yashal, The waves, Gift, Rainbow, Creature, Dancing and many more) simply touch me inside to tears. '''Where can people acquire a copy of your release?'''<br> Directly from me, through the "have the cd" page on our website, www.rostaudoom.com ,at the price of 3 euros '''How can people contact you?'''<br> By an email located on the same website, info@rostaudoom.com '''Some final words if you like and still have enough motivation to write something.'''<br> There would be much more I'd like to say about many questions you asked me, but the nature of topics involved implicates that new thoughts spring every time I reflect on them, and this interview would never end. I know I'm far away from having been exhaustive, but I hope I could communicate sufficiently. I thank you for this opportunity and anyone who will be touched by Rostau's works, one way or another. Giulio from Rostau {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Voluptas]][[Category:Czechia]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Genre::Experimental]] </div> 7e8f74edfff5e4d998492b3ff08f2bc19b3a19ad 201 200 2021-07-24T16:30:03Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Another interview with a band from Italy. The music scene – not only the metal one – has a lot to offer and by this I do not mean stuff like Eros Ramazotti. So, how are you? Do you think I should cover even more bands from your country?'''<br> Hi oneyoudontknow, thanks for this opportunity. I think we're all fine..I'm not in close touch with one of the members but I don't have reasons to imangine things are going otherwise than "fine", and hope it too. I'll clear out this in the next question... anyway, as for the italian bands, I must confess that I've lost contact with the musical scene (any musical scene, in fact, not just the italian one) in 2005/2006 due to personal life evolution. I can point out just a bunch of names, the first my mind recalls : first of all Ras Algethi, a great inspiration with it's demo "Oblita Divinitas" (1993), in which one of our members played. Anyone who likes funeral doom should listen to that demo, it's unique and seminal. Then Enoch, funeral doom band in which two of our members played too. Another really good italian doom act is Malasangre. One band i listened to recently was Black Land, psychedelic stoner/doom. And let's not forget Ovskum... sick black/drone/doom. Obviuosly there's not just doom in the peninsula, but to throw in random names forgetting other good ones I can't recall wouldn't be fair, so I skip any further mentioning. I make an exception for Diorrhea, a grindcore band composed of talented personal friends, who often travel Europe devastating the audience with their musical fury, and who helped me with my musical projects many times.<br> '''Would you mind introducing the members a bit and what are your/their ‘original’ bands?'''<br> The "I" speaking in this interview is Giulio. I'll just tell that I'm a guy between 20 and 30 years old living in a small town in the countryside, who spreads his interests towards way too many topics, never being able to focus and go deeply, and tries to catch the meaning and dynamics of reality. No small task, with it's joys and sorrows. I have another band, "Distruzione di Massa", a Death/Grind solo project. Also, I have a second project with the members of Rostau, named "Zerfall". It's about old school death/doom, with a paticular use of keyboards.<br> The other members are my older brother Silvio, who has a clever, adaptive eye towards what happens around him and a way sharper skill to understand than mine. Nwadays he's living around the world gaining experience. He played drums in Ras Algethi, Enoch, Albireo and other bands. Finally there's Leo, a friend at first of my brother and then also mine. He's a talented keyboard player with a nice sense of humor, and he played in many bands : nowadays in Enoch, and probably other projects I don't know anything about. Both Silvio and Leo played with me in the Zerfall project.<br> '''What does Rostau refer to? From what I could make out it somehow deals with some secret rooms or pathways below the sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.'''<br> Rostau's translation is more or less "Mouth of the Passages". It's concept is that of the gate to the Duat, an afterlife realm in the ancient egyptian religion. it should be a place both in our world and in a region of the star sky. There are a lot of theories about it's existence in the form of chambers and corridors under the sphynx, as well as relating them to some secret chamber containing power or technology long lost. On another hand, it could be related to the way the Great Pyramid worked, as related to the journey of a soul. In these last years the topic has become one of those chaotic ones in which one unorthodox side arguments important revelations against the other one, that of the official academy and it's litarature. It's hard to form a true position as most of the proposed arguments are physically beyond direct verification by the reader, or too technical to be seriously examined. In example, I certainly don't know the ancient egyptian language anyway deeply (or superficially), so I have to take most of the data in the debate as it's offered. Anyway, the sheer concept inside that interpretation of the term "Rostau", that of gate, passage and related to the trascendetal, sufficiently symbolizes what the musical project wants to suggest.'''<br> '''What made you start Rostau and why did you release only this one album? As three members are involved and due to the peculiar nature of the project it seems natural to ask whether you all knew each other and have founded the band together?'''<br> Well, Rostau started as the first tries on my first guitar. I think it was 2003, in the warm, hugging gloom of the room I had in my parents' house. I had absolutely no tecnique, I just had this bulky instrument in hand and a whirlwind of "things" to express inside. I really didn't expect what I would have brought forth. I started playing the strings and tapping them, enjoying the sound, and began choosing what notes were good after the others, which rythms suited.. and so, after many randomly delayed days, I ended up with the first riff of "Celestial Hive Mind". I had no idea that one day it would have the form one can hear today on the cd. In fact, I didn't even expect it to develope and mix with other riffs to create a song. It was just a personal creation. Even if I knew it had absolutely no tecnical value for anyone who could actually play a guitar, it was simply touching and moving me. I found it beautiful, and highly "mine". Rostau was born that days, and it developed in the same way : I wanted to express myself for my personal enjoyment, so I continued trying, stringing one note after another, finding new sounds that touched me as mine and beautiful. The strange thing is that at that time I listened to very little doom metal. That was a death, brutal and grind time of my life. When i composed the riffs of the first demo of my other musical project, Distruzione di Massa, I just imagined and played them in my head, then recorded them by voice (the results would be really comic if anyone other than me could listen them : beyond Impaled Northern Moon Forest). Finally I transposed them patiently in notes and produced midi files, which i sent along with tabs to my fellows musicians. In some way, however, the first Rostau sound was what I came to express directly with a guitar in hand. The lack of any lesson with the instrument also influenced deeply my approach to music : I had no rules or scheme to what was and was not to do. The first riff in "Ahriman" was born just because one day I discovered that the last two strings created a neat vibration in a certain combination. I remember I stayed full minutes playing just those two notes, picking one string, then another, then the first, than the other, and so, and so, and so on. Even if the amplifier I was playing in was (and still is) a discount 15watt gadget, which came with the 100€ ebay guitar, I was wrapped in the sound. Then I began trying note combinations on the same frame, and the riff came to be. Another example of this is the first riff of "to die..". I tap no string with the fingers, just pick them. Any guitarist would probably say that i'm just not playing the instrument that way.. and in a certain sense they would be right. But hey! it worked. 3.33.333 was born taking this concept of indirect guitar playing to the extreme. I won't repeat here the precise genesis of that song, it's written in detail in one section of the website. So, to gloriously return to your question after this trip, Rostau had a long gestation beforn seeing daylight. Riffs accumulated, ideas developed, and "Celestial Hive Mind" guitars were completed. In 2004, after coming back from a summer festival in Germany, one day I feeled like writing some lyrics for it. Then, with still little voice after the round of concerts (viewed, not performed!), I recorded a first previews of what that lyric could effectively sound on the track. The sighing stile was natural due to my throat conditions.. and sounded pleasing. So pleasing, despite it needed some refining work, that I kept it. All these boring anecdotes are to point out why we released only one album and how three memebers were involved : "To die and to the Stars Ascend" was thought and recorded across years, grew with me, and had not been intended for publication till the last stages of its elaboration. I produced some music to express myself, that's all. Eventually, people who listened to it coinvinced me that it had potential, and it could be turned into a real album. A unique and non-conventional one. So I asked my brother Silvio and Leo to help me out with keyboards, to compose and record them. I knew that albums relying on the ideas from just one mind are somehow limited. Far more magic is generated from the clash of different wills. I asked them this perhaps in late 2006 or the begining of 2007, and we recorded in the last days of August, after 3.33.333 had already made it's appearance. The keyboards sounds are modified excerpts of that song. By this time also my ideas about the world changed, and they did it drastically in march 2007. After the recording of the album I developed the artwork, joining together the various "ideological" aspects that had sedimented through the years in the project, and gave them unity. There's some tension in the album, being it the compression in a single piece of different and sometimes opposing forces. Just to say one or two, the low fi, analogic, old school sound of guitars and vocals joined with the digital and "mathematical" sound of the keyboards, or the union of a fictional, sci-fi fantasy elements such as Warhammer 40k and numerologic, philosophical, historical and esoteric hints. This tension symbolizes my personal evolution, while the unique recording and processing circumstances generated the sound of the album. Both these factors cannot be reproduced. So the ipothethical next Rostau album would not be anyway similar to the first one. People put albums under the same band name in comparison, building up hit parades, that in this specifical case would be pointless. It would be the same as to assign a mark and make a chart of life stages : any one of them had it's context, it's causes, it's synchronous and diachronic meaning. That doesn't mean that the inspiration behind Rostau will produce no more. Perhaps we'll have to wait another 5 years or more, but it could emerge again and show up under another name. '''On your homepage you have written that the music has been recorded over the span over several years. I wonder how you keep the attention and the interest over such a long period. Was it difficult to motivate yourself to proceed with this project? Did you ever reach a point in which it all became too much and you just wanted to get it over with?'''<br> I anticipated something about this question in the preceding one : I had no need to keep attention, to focus, as it was a personal search, a personal enjoyment. Also, as I said before I'm not one who keeps for too long or too deeply on something without feeling the urge to explore something else. Interest in Rostau grew or exstinguished over the years, and this was perfectly acceptable as I had no pressure except the one coming from myself.. and I pleased that pressure whenever it visited me. It also had an intriguing feeling to take again something left behind with a new mind, enriched by time passing and collected experience. It let me build a more complicated structure around single simple points coming from different moments. This changed only in the final stages of the production of the album. At some point I decided I wanted to conclude it and give it a stable, finished form. In that period I focused more, and felt some times of tireness. The worst part was the physical production of the cd : the music was already there and, beside the thrill of giving your work birth, the sheer procudure was sometimes annoying, expecially regarding the printing process of the digipack. There are many aspects, both technical and "burocratical", that a non-professional like me finds quite laboriuos. There had been many things, both musical and physical, I would have wanted to further polish, but I grew tired and went on with the final print.<br/> '''Did you always had this special sound and kind of arrangement in the back of your head or did this evolve over time? What had been the original intentions behind this band or album? What was it that you wanted to create?'''<br> Was this that I wanted to create? that's an hard question. That's something the variuos mes through time wanted to be that way. None of them would have liked everything in the sound or the other facets of the album, but in the end I liked it very much, even with it's flaws and contradictions. Moreover, mostly the sound was compelled by the technical equipment I had at disposal : a small amplifier, a chep guitar, zero to low musicianship, a mall-quality microphone, and a pc. But I liked it, and after some audio processing I found it evocative and intimate enough. The arrangement in particular wasn't even imaginable at the beginning of the experience. It grew as I grew, as I metabolized more music and developed new ideas in any related branch of knowledge.. literature, music, phylosophy, and so on. The keyboards expecially were a very late introduction, and sprinkled from reflections about the fullness and completeness of the overall sound and richness of the music. United with a last-hour "melodic" guitar in the title track, they even surprised me with the final effect, and now the music coverd many more frequencies, gaining variety and adding the tension I mentioned before regarding the two main classes of sounds, old school and mathematical. '''Aside from the conceptual aspect that is discussed below extensively, the musical one is interesting as well. There are a lot of influences from the drone and doom genre, while the compositions are generally rather minimalist. Why did you pick such a ‘reduced’ approach? How would you in your own words describe Rostau’s art?'''<br> Minimalism wasn't something I aimed to. As I said, the composition of the songs grew bit by bit, first through the aggregating process of basical elements, then by accumulating other single lines over the basis. In the late stages, I reached a point when music expressed everything I felt with the just the elements already merged. The overall minimalism simply is the result of this communicative goal. Sometimes the richness of arrangements interfere with this focal aspect of music. Sometimes you listen to perfectly produced, neatly executed and fully arranged music, and feel very little emotions through it. That's a try to cover a lack of seed inspiration hoping to surprise or hypnotize the listener through baroque constructions, or throwing in well-estabilished stylistic elements. Obviously I don't think that's always the case when encountering richly arranged music, and neither I'm an extremist fan of minimalism. I'm a fan of music which conveys feelings, emotions, suggestions.. That's how Rostau was born, and the goal I had in mind. At first, simple personal expression, then the same thing slightly bent to fulfill the general feel the basic elements made blink in me. Don't let me be misunderstood, I'm far from thinking the result is perfect. If it was, everything in it would be "poetry", as in Croce's aesthethic theories (which refere to literature, but could fit well also to music). Instead, there's still a lot of "structure". That's just my attempt, I hope the balance between the two favours the first. The title track is somehow interesting. The longer it progresses the fewer elements and facets appear until at the end everything closes with some form of silence. At last, one might say, the soul is able to leave this world and drift off into a different place. Did you always wanted to create such an experience? Was this an idea that you had in the back of your head right from the start? Absolutely not. The title track took it's final form very late, but very quickly. One could say that the experience created itself through me. It's not a process I can describe in an intellective manner. After the recording of the keyboards, listening and filing the sound, the idea of a deep meaning inside it blinked in my mind. That's the way of inspiration, I think. As inconscius as it was, it had some force. And as forces, as the old gods of the myth, it is a seed manifesting itself in many ways, all related. As for the general concept of the album, it has no univocal intepretation. It can be seen as many things, and none of them would be wrong. It has hints and suggestions, and one could see the journey of the sould from flesh to the parting moment, while another could visualize the gloom behind a column in an ancient desert temple, as shamans are calmly performing a ritual. Both ways are right, they are different and still could be related, they could be the expression of the same seed. What I wrote in the website is just one, the strongest of my views of it. That interpratation came after music, according to the nature of this work. The energy of non-rational expressed by music is shaped and ordered by the a subsequent moment, both by feeling and mind. That's why any way to feel the album is right, the collapsing equilibrium of the album is the form gave by me in 2008 facing something that, having evolved for long time, was somehow external. In particular, the song was initially composed of the first two sequencies. As you noticed, it proceeds evolving towards something calm, opaque, silent. The central part, that I found dramatic or even tragic, sparkled the view of death occurring, while the rest of the song had a feel of melancoly and loneliness, feelingsappropriate to the dying. The first part felt hypnotic and touching, holding a desire of meaning, a slight, sub limine question about where..what.. why. I decided to meld in the last part: like you say, a different place. That satisfied many needs, from the variety of the musical aspect, passing through the adding of a worrying hope after the melacoly of the preceeding of the music, to the fulfilling of the numerological symbol in it's duration. According to my exploration of the astral travel experience, I have found that it can occur in, as to say, two directions, like the axis of the cartesian plane. The horizontal axis, in this view, is the journey through our physycal dimension, while the vertical one is about moving to other planes. The last part of the song could represent the lingering of the soul just beyond death, contemplating quietly it's mortal shell and still remembering with a sweet smile what the carnal experience was, now distant and forgiven. Just a few moments, before pointing to the stars and journeying throug the void , free to explore and feel joy, or being attracted by some force, by fate, by cosmic laws... who knows? Anyway in this section of the album the soul it's still in the "horizontal" direction of travel. '''Sadness seems to be a core aspect of the album, at least this was an impression that I gained while listening to it. In seems natural to find such, because topics like "loss and death” are often dealt in such a way in the Western civilization. Is there no hope to break out of it? Has our culture some sort of pathological fixation on death and tries to celebrate this depressing mood in a countless varieties?''' I think that fear of death, horror before self disgregation and the end, are basical anthropological feelings innate in a being able to reflect on itself and the bewildering loss of it's kin. It seems to me that these feelings are rooted in every culture. The liberation from these thoughts comes through many means, both spiritual and intellectual. We should also distinguish between levels in culture and civilization. We could say that Western civilization has it's roots in Mesopothamic and Egyptian cultures. The epic of Gilgamesh conveys a strong, desperate feeling of sadness about the mortality of men, while in Egypt we found many hopes pointing to an afterlife, even happyness in it. Greeks too had precise views about life beyond death, expressed in their mythic cicles, but their culture also produced Epicureism, and it's calm disillusion about anything beyond the disgregation of body and soul in their corresponding heavy and thin atoms, which swirl again to form new entities. This brief schetch could go on a lot (and I don't think I'm able to draw a comprehensive or deep summary) : the point is that those ideas never reached a vast amount of people. Even talking about a single capital cultural event for the western world, as Christianity, we range from the frightened chanting peasant to the elaborations of st Augustine of Hippo, just to focus the late ancient period. On the other side, vikings hailed glorious death and embraced it with joy; romans gladly sacrificed themselves for the wellness of the Res Publica, stoicists proudly suicided when there was no way to live reasonably. But these are all generic views, strict summaries, not accounting the intimate feelings of billions of human beings through history. So we could state that how death is regarded in a sample population depends on the type and penetration strenght of a given culture, and on this culture's view about the topic. Where that culture can't reach to, the original sense of fright and loss prevails. That said, I agree when you state that, generically speaking, modern western culture is fixated in these motives and expresses them almost univocally through sorrow, fear and so on. I know Eastern culture just superficially, and cannot say what are the feelings about death of the majority of people born in that context. Through ages, man has tried to ease discomfort, and the generic western civilization started, from a moment on, to focus almost solely on technology to ease the pain. "You're doing it wrong", would some demotivational say. In the XVIII century, the cult of reason cleared the fog of superstition, leaving a barren landscape to be seen. The devaluation of anything that couldn't be measured and numbered, anything that wasn't explainable through the strict use of the intellect, struck a severe blow to the connection with the divine, already weakening after the Medieval Age. An italian poet, Leopardi, evolved through pessimism, from personal, to historical-anthorpological, to cosmic. The solution was ataraxy, something way easier to search than to acquire. Even considering Romanticism, neo-idealism and so on, it seems that materialism and pragmatism are still among the dominant concepts that lead western culture in the modern age. And getting back to the question of the levels in culture and civilization, talking about contemporary western mass culture would be simply afflicting. No surprise if nowadays, generically speaking, death (personal death, not other's.. that would require extremely long and complex disquisitions) is expressed through sorrow. But there's plenty of hope to find both inside and outside anyone - and according to some belief systems, both directions are just the same. Coming to Rostau, it's true that one could feel sadness leaking out across the listening. I pointed out many times that the core inspiration came out by iteself, the basis of the music wasn't planned rationally to be so. Then I enphasized or changed what I felt had to, according to the theme the core sounds inspired me. For example, Celestial Hive Mind indeed communicates cold sadness and deep melancoly. It has nothing to do with death though, in fact it involves the opposite : an intellect existing only to consume and absorb, until nothing in the universe will be apart from it. The act of eating never fulfilled by satisfaction. And then, after everything is Tyranid and nothing alse lives, what? terrible solitude, deep void of meaning, only the well-known growing hunger. I wouldn't label "Ahriman.." as sad, I would prefere "tragic", in the ancient greek tragedy acception. The tragedy of an unspeakable act of treason and genocide as a proud, cynic and feverish solution to a taint considered worst, an act - in the mind of Ahriman - embraced as impossible to avoid. I spoke in another question about "To die.." and it's compromise between sweet tears and shivering hopes, and then there's 3.33.333, which I still find somehow enigmatic. Could be hope, but there's some subterranean feeling of uneasiness and worry, prevailing and exploding with the last sound. '''Is 3 33 333 some sort of a final electronic requiem for a dying race? The last sound that will leave the world and enter the vastness of space, maybe recorded at some point in the future by a distant alien race. Could this be final music of this planet?'''<br> As i found during my studies, smart or innocent critique always find meanings and nuances that even the author would have never imagined. As long as there is something effectively detectable that gives a basis to the argumentation, the interpretation cannot be told wrong. That's even more true in a work like this. We're not talking about a didascalic poem, we're talking about allusive music. That said, I hope the final music of this race will be a joyful laugh, even if the idea of the electronic requiem tickles the Imp of Perverse in me, as Poe figured it. I had absolutely no intent of sort when I produced 3.33.333. It was pure experimentation, it didn't even was meant to be a song. But when placed in the context, after the final work of concept-structuring, it generates a host of different images, sensations, "trips". My personal view, the reason why I put it in that place, in that form, ending the album after "to die..", is one of hope and exploration, which could occurr after the separation of the spirit from matter. I said "could": the mentioned underlying feeling of worry expresses the uncertanity both of the ipothethic soul journeying through time-space and of the listener reflecting on what could be after death. The final sound leaves a shiver full of questions, and then there's plenty of silence to start answering. '''What kind of instruments and equipment were used for the recording?'''<br> I hinted before that the equipment at disposal was mostly entry-level. I had a cheap guitar plugged in a cheap amplifier, with no pedals. The microphone too was inexpensive, I bouth it in a tech store. Recordings were made directly into my pc.. Nowadays I use a Terratech phase 88 sound card, but at that time I think it was a simple soundblaster live. Recordings as well as post processing were accomplished through the Audition 1.5 program united with some plugins. Keyboards were also taken directly through pc, using a digital sampler, Kontakt, played on the pc keyboard using sounds taken from 3.33.333. For the drums I used the same sampler, sounds from the Drumkit From Hell and midi. I didn't mention it before : I think it's clearly hearable, drums are digital and not actually human-perfomed. I studied drums for a couple of years, and never liked drum machines or trigger sounds. The drum lines which are now on the album were meant to be temporary, but recordings proved too arduous given the situation. I tried to work out it's sounds to be as warm as I could, and the result is satisfying enough. The sound resulting on the album was therefore somehow compelled by the situation. I'll note, however, that I prefere old school, warm-feeling equipment to top quality. I prefere 80's and 90's sound also in the music I listen to, finding the ultra perfect sound you hear nowadays in any production too sterile and cold, too perfect. That's one reason why on the last Ep of my other project, Distruzione di Massa, I used an old walkman cassette recorder to take vocals, even if I could have used a minidisk or the microphone directly plugged in the pc through a mixer. Also, I absolutely prefere human errors and musician's intention to digitally obtained mathemathical precision. Even with better equipment the sound on the album would have been different, but with similar characteristics. '''How many rehearsal sessions took place for it; if you can still count them?'''<br> In the strict sense of the expression, implying people playing together in a reharsal room, none. '''You wrote to me that the music of Rostau cannot be enjoyed "straight out of the box". Why is this so?'''<br> We live in hasty times and time is money, so people might not want to explore such a complex topic like you present it on your release. I'll quote an email I sent some time ago on this very topic :<br> "I know the album is quite cryptic and cannot be fully enjoyed "straight out of the box". This was indeed meant to be. The album took many years to develop and gain it's final form. It's the fruit of many layers of passion overlapping each other, the fruit of time, experience, growth, change. I don't care about fame, so no full names, photos or detailed information were included. The music isn't probably pleasing to untrained or unprepared ears, to superficial listenings, but - and this is the central point of the question - it can gift so much if properly explored. It contains a tension in itself, a tension to explore, to find out more, to perceive the next nuance in the keyboards or just another suggestion from the atmosphere. It calls the intrigued listener to go further in the music. Still, I'm not so presumptuous to think that everyone will have the interest in doing it. And I have never been a self-advertising guy, so no links, no long texts about ideas, concepts, and music inside the album.[...]. So, to make a long story short, I left to the initiative of anyone who hears the call to explore coming from the album to find a rich prize. That's what sincere albums pull to do, and if anyone finds "to die.." to be so, even a very few people around the world, I'll feel pleased enough." And what you say about time is so painfully true, nowadays. It's getting worse year after year, noticeably. The "system" is any day more complex, and if you slow the pace a little, one hundred other sharks will outswim you. And then you freeze in the depth. And that's not the only facet of the problem : the musical world is getting simply too crowded. Anyone can make music through simple means, like I did. But too much variety ends up in confusion. I found out recently, trying to spread the last Ep of Distruzione di Massa, that standard reviews, found on generic metal websites, are nowadays short and superficial, compared to what they were in 2004/2005. One very good italian webzine I knew, Shapeless Zine, partly shutted down recently : they used to review demos and underground albums, as well as bigger names, but they had to stop receiving any material at all, as the effort of reviewing deeply and through real and metabolised listening had gotten simply impossible. It's hard even to the fanatic to disentangle from the overwhelming mass of potentially good music constantly coming out, without sacrificying the real listening experience, which should be feeling the music instead of grinding an album after another of slightly different tunes. Internet offers samples, that's true.. but considering the amount mentioned before, one risks to end up collecting a huge library of isolated songs. I know many people who have their hard disks full of albums: many of them never get a chance to be listened at all, and other stand still after one 3-song-spin or two. On the other hand, many people can enjoy music that way. I am one who tends to fossilize on the same album for a long time. I rememeber listening to Farmakon everyday for about two years, and that album frequently comes out of the speaker today, too. That's simply a way to experience music, I have many friends who can listen deeply retaining a lot of variety. The chances someone will end up enjoying "To die.." at such dept is slim, I perfectly know it. But as said, I prefere a bunch of people who feel that it's music is communicating with them and feel the pull to understand more, than selling every copy of the album to people who will leave it to dust after one absent-minded try. Exactly as I would do in person, as that album is the expression of human beings. '''To Die and to the Stars Ascend, this is the title of the release, but why do you think that in the vastness of space lies the salvation? Hell, Gehennah, Hades and the like are different examples and point in a different ‘direction’.'''<br> Just as you say, it's a direction. I scattered delucidations on my view of existance in various answers to your acute questions, so I'll try not to repeat myself. Space is vast, and the manifestations of existence are incredibly vaster. Or so it seems. Infernal world has been conceived in a great number of beliefs, from an archaic realm physically lying under the surface of earth to one fold of the universe where rejected buds of creation end up. On another axys of analysis, some say that our physical world is hell, because it's dominated by disgregation, one low state compared to higher forms of existence. So what is salvation, and how to accomplish it? the concept of salvation itself is hooked to human cathegories, such as absence of pain (another human cathegory), as many wouldn't call "salvation" the simple fact of continuing to exist, if this existence is in "hell". And still, salvation could in fact be that, and an iphothethical life in hell just a stopping place with it's own cathegories of perception. We could also evaluate the concept of evolution, binding the term "salvation" to a virtual ascension through it's stages, while "damnation" could be involution, or perhaps the inability to further evolve. We could also refere to quantic vibrations in one's soul, or one's true self. I think that there may be forces and actions in our physical universe that can leave a mark in the trascendental origin of a specific person, changing it's "colour", or "vibration", and influencing the way existance is perceived and the peculiar state it's lived in. The final goal could be completness, and completness could mean the identification of oneself into the principle of existance. Or it could be constant evolution, constant change, the way the one self of the universe experiences and knows itself through the mutable and the fragmented. Or our very human existance could even be the manifestation of a lesser order of forces (like, in example, solar system ones), a sector of the creation lower in hyerarchy respect to the only one principle - but still comprehended in that principle. In a complex and uncertain panorama like this, anyone is called to choose and form his view, and act accordingly; and even believing in nothing is still believing in something. '''When you read books of Thoreau for instance, then you recognize the wide array of his knowledge in terms of old literature and mythology. Such seems to have been lost today. Do you think that this is a bad thing and are you familiar with your own cultural literal heritage?'''<br> Myth are tales containing great power. There are many ways to interprete them, and they were an incredibly ancient vehicle of knowledge, a way to understand the nature and the universe. As such, they were symbols epitomizing the comprehension of stars and life cycles. Also, myths' story is very long, starting from the very ancient tales about the cosmos and the symbolic transmission of ethno-political facts. Facts such as the second millenium a.c invasions in the greek area, symbolized by the distruction of beasts (which on their turn embodied the cosmic and religious conceptions of some human stoks) by gods, embodiments of the new systems and dominant elites taking over the former ones. But then the myth was also philosophical speculation, literature and more. It is possible to give a punctual alchemic interpretation of Greek and Egyptian myths (and many more, considering that resemblances and underlying themes associate numerous traditions); myths feeded western literature for a great number of centuries, and sparkled wide-range speculations over human knowledge, from psycology to physics. Notice that scientific western terms derive from the ancient Greek and Latin language; language both expresses and shapes cultures, and those cultures relied deeply on myths. It's certainly bad that nowadays knowing myths is considered needless, even just for their pull to reflection and reality interpretation, if not considering the factual knowledge they carry. On the other hand, today's world is frenetical, and that which doesn't offer an immediate and tangible benefit is low-valued. I myself can't surely say to posses but lightly the mythological heritage of my culture, even if I deal with it now and them, as I study letters and philosophy at the university and being interested in topics related to mythology. Right these days I'm studying some episodes of Ovid's Metemorphoses, and it's fashinating to see how the implied power in myths finds new forms and blends into new realities with the passing of centuries, mirror and veichle of the time in which they keep letting their charge flow. Even considering the sheer influence on literature from the ancient world to the modern one, and considering that literature and culture walk together, we cannot think possible to understand our world completely ignoring the nature and content of myths. A core aspect of your music as well as the concept behind Rostau seems to be the transition from the living to the dead, from the physical basis to the transcendental one. Well, as even Plato wrote about it several thousand years ago, it seems to an aspect that mankind or the philosophers have thought about extensively. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know why it is so important to you. I'm deeply convinced that the physical world isn't the only one this universe is made of, and so I am that the material existence we call life isn't the only state a person can experience. Time and space are cathegories that appear stable, but just the experience of dreaming can easily lead to think differently. I believe that material death isn't an end, but a passage. We are part of an "everything", a manifestation of a unique source in a plane of existance, and as such, we are like an atom of a body of inconceivable complexity. I know this isn't fresh news. The central node of the question is whether a creature gifted with conscience can retain it through the stages of mutation, or not. Obviously there are hints all around us pointing towards both answers, and that's why so many people through history struggled in search of an answer. Personally, I think the universe (or better, omniverse) is far more complex than we can imagine, and something that people phylosophically reasoning tend to ignore is that between the supreme origin of anything that exists and our material experience could lie a host of different kinds of existance. Before the "light of God" we could see us under the laws of the solar system and it's powers, seeing us as shards of the essence of Tiamat knowing itself through our fragmented lives, or we could hypotesize that after death one wakes up in another kind of existence, either assuming a cyclic return to the material plane or a linear course through states, evolving. Ovidio's Methamorphosis is a vast poetical celebration of transition, each mutation is both a death and the birth of a new existence, expressed through myth and history. An essence changing form and still being the same principle, with a different material manifestation and with changed attributes in it's trascendetal form. I'm far from having answers, and I keep adjusting or changing my view as my experience grows. So many different traditions and systems could also be different expressions of the same complex truth, and this reminds me of the concept that the various religions are just the expression of the same mystic principle, the philosophia perennis. And still, this is all so limited, so human. Thomas Aquinas, after all his life of deep theological work, stated "mihi videtur ut pula" : everything I wrote seems to me like straw. Recently I've been evaluating the theories according to which a person is one of the physical manifestations of a "true self" which exists beyond the physical dimension, whose pull is to evolve through variuos incarnations. And still metempsicosis could be a partial view, not taking in account the possible existence of many layers between "physical" and "trascendetal". The concept of time we are wrapped into limits our ability to think, in this case. And we should also consider that "thinking" isn't but one way of acquiring concepts, and surely a limited one. Anyway, to go back to your question, I see the problem of life beyond death as fundamental, something not to be skipped, and I live my life accordingly, trying to never forget it's implications and trying to view things from it's peculiar wide angle. '''Two other topics are the Warhammer 40K universe and Ahriman. Could you elaborate why these have sparked your interest and the reasons for picking them?'''<br> Since I was very young, i was fashinated by the universe of warhammer 40k, it was so crude, real, poetic and tragic. I was charmed by the vastness of the context, our entire galaxy and even other ones, I was thrilled by the struggle of mankind and the display of technology whose real use was forgotten since millenia, and were created and manteined by prayers and rituals whose intimate meaning was recognized no more. I found out later that many stories which form up that universe had allegoric meaning or hidden referrals to our world's cultures. Just in example, the divinized mainteining rituals remind me of the Carmen Saliare, chanted by Salii priests during a May procession every year, and which were not intelligible by historic age Romans who heard them.. Many years ago I was an enthusiastic player of the tabletop game when I had the occasion, but mostly read the manuals thirsty for their stories and the worlds evoken. In the first time of Rostau, I was browsing a forum related to the game, and found a topic about songs having warhammer40k as inspiration. I caressed the idea of making my own ones and posting them, and that desire inspired the lyrics of Celestial Hive Mind. I never had the occasion to effectively post any news about the song when the album was published many years after, but in the meantime came Ahriman of the Thousand Sons. He's story is one of my favourites, I'm enchanted by the context of his Legion devoted to knowledge and study, which lead them on the forbidden path of knowledge. When they divined that the Horus Heresy was about to break out, they tried to inform the Emperor about the treason, but he didn't listen, as they trespassed their Pillars of Hercules. From their point of view, the Emperor betrayed them, while he unleashed the savage Space Wolves to destroy their libraries, legion and planet. Joining Horus and the powers of Chaos seemed the only option, and when the war was lost, they retired in the Eye of Terror. Living so exposed to the forces of unstableness lead them to mutation, and so Ahriman took his decision : another betrayal, towards his own brothers. His Rubric spell destroyed every Thousand Son lacking psychical powers, reducing their bodies to ashes, nullifying their minds and sealing their spirits in their armours. Psykers like him and the excellence of the Legion were cleansed from the taint of chaos, and had their powers enhanced. Magnus, their primarch, banished him from their planet in the Eye of Terror, and Ahriman wander the galaxy since then, plotting and pursuing his schemes. That's touching and deep, and when I had a first basis for the song, I used the story's suggestions to build it around the climax of the Ahriman spell. The macro-concept in the album came later, through various stages of elaboration, and I decided to keep these themes to create a unique thematic balance involving ideas and suggestions from different spheres of thought. Anyone can interpete this as he founds appropriate, my personal view is quite complex, sprinkled from my own exploration on the world of dreams and lucid dreams. Dreams are neither stable nor physical. However they have their relative dimensions of time and space. "Somewhere", they are. Experiencies in dreams affect the one living them, they're just a different kind of information and effect respect to the experience in physical world. Veraciuos dreams leave a memory. The most realistic ones involve many human senses, and I remember clearly the air caressing my body from the variuos times I flew trough it. These memories aren't very different from memories collected through physical experience of the world. I just know that they happened in a different plane than the physical one. This led me to think about the wolds of invention as instable forms existing or having existed in some fold of the complex universe of ours (as any thought, in it's peculiar way of being). Who knows, in another state of existence, a soul could end up travelling through one such world. That's just a suggestion, I don't take this as a stable point in my conception of reality. I have no truths in hand, and have evolved my view many times. However, when reaching a high control of lucid dreaming, theorically it could be possible to create, in example, a shard of the universe of warhammer 40k and act in it. Technically the context would be created by you (you don't end up in a context thought by another person), but the lucid and rational point of the iceberg would journey in a setting generated by the inconscious, and therefore unpredictable. And nonetheless, such a dream would be part of the experiences of the dreamer, shaping his reality and essence, and "existing", as the universe is a vast light filtered through the prism of anyone's self, anyone being the principle of his own peculiar reality. We could imagine that the reality of the soul in 3.33.333 includes a 40k experience, and that the first two songs are expressions of some facets of that experience. '''On the former issue: do you play it as table deck and/or in the computer version? I have merely played the computer versions so far, but I have to admit that this had been a lot of fun. It seems like a very cruel and brutal universe; a place with little mercy.'''<br> I started playing the tabletop version after having been interested for long time in the background of the warhammer 40k universe, and after starting painting miniatures. With the passing of years various pc games came out related to that world; the first one i put my hand on was SPace Hulk : an atypical first person shooter with a strong tactical component set in a specifical setting carved out of the whole : the exploration of giant space wrecks, known as Hulks, by Blood Angels' Terminators. The potential discovery of ancient forgotten technology lead to the discovery of the genestealer and chaotic infestation in the Hulks. It was very claustrophobic, set in labyrinths of narrow corridors where the bulky terminator armours of the space marines had troubles maneuvering, while an unlimited number of the insect like genestealers rushed to you and your squad from everywhere. I remember I was thrilled and charmed by the atmosphere of the game, tense and desperate. You could hear the other squadmates screaming and swearing vengeance in the radio, and at those times (something like 1995) that was something incredible. Nowadays the boardgame version of Space Hulk is the only thing I still play, along with Battlefleet Gothic (a tabletop battle of starships, intricate and stunningly refined. And the miniatures are awesome). Then, on pc, I played intensly to Chaos Game. The most bugged pc game ever, it was far more similar to the tabletop version. It too had a great atmosphere, very pleasing for the scenarios, the tactical system and... well, the possibility to command a loyal transposition of space marines in a long and structured campaign! I would paly it still today, if i had time and could manage to get it working. Then came Dawn of War. This last game, while spectacular and amusing, reflects the more cinematographic nature of the games evolution through the years. The old material was more mature and "shaded" and soffused, far richer in starting points to raise the thoughts view to our-world tematics. The emotions it provoked were deeper and less black-and-white. The whole had a less pompous and superficial taste, it wasn't child-oriented, and from that period come the most intriguing core ideas of the system. Necrons are perhaps the better product of the recent period with their Gods, the C'tan, cosmic entities that once feeded on stars. Then, called by a dying race and seducted into living metal bodies, they discovered the pleasures of flesh and started to have a testa for living essences as food. Deceived by one of them, and an Eldar God, the Great Arlequin, they found that the most deliciuos essence in the universe was that of another C'Tan. They destroyed themselves in a fratricidal genocide, till only four of them remained, powerful and very different in nature. Anyway, what you say is true : It's a brutal and mercyless universe, where the life of the individual has no value, and where the survival of the race (almost every race : to tell the truth, some of them like the Tyranids don't care about it at all) justifies any means. A very delicate balance of constant war in a depersonalizing galaxy-wide horizon. Just in example, there's the Golden Throne : a gargantuan machinery devoted to the survival of the mortal shell of the Immortal Emperor God of Mankind, that once walked among "us". Wounded to the threshold of death by his genetically generated son Horus (in a rebellion that echoes the one of the biblical Lucifer), he has been sustained for 10 000 years, so that his spirit can be anchored to the material plane. The Golden Throne is nourished by the constant sacrifice of human psykers, whose soul is consumed so that the spirit of the Emperor can keep assisting and guiding mankind. The psyker themself, on the other hand, are gathered across the galaxy by the Black Ships of Inquisition, since they threaten the human race with their genetic deviance, their uncontrolled powers and their being potential portals for the demons of the warp. The strongest and most talented ones are trained to serve mankind, the majority is immolated for the same cause. '''Aside from the concept and also the tracks appear in a rather surprising style: The first 3 songs were produced to be precisely 11.01.111, while the last was 3.33.333. (Total playing time : 36.36.666) [quote from the homepage]<br> I guess this might leave people a little bit bewildered. Why this extreme precision and what is the meaning behind this numerical code?'''<br> At first the idea came by chance, as for the rest of the album. The first two songs ended up being 11.01.xxx minutes long, and having already elaborated part of the life, death and resurrection ideas behind the concept, I decided to add a further piece of the puzzle. Always fashinated by numerology, I picked the occasion to extend the suggestions of the album : in the duality between 1 and 0, one represent fullness, the essence, while zero the void, the absence. In a context like that of the album, which could suggest a vision of the universe as a manifestazion of perfect fullness discovering itself in the fragmentation, the flawed series of ones (11.01.111) can symbolize the conscient being in it's experiential dimension : removing the flaw, that is the absence, only the essence remains, perfection. 3 is traditionally related to the divine and perfection, and by summing the 1s of the three manifestations of man (body, mind and soul) we get three times 3, with a 3 graphically added in any repetition (3.33.333). The implications on the musical plane are that the first three songs represent a material and corporeal experience, so comprising the flaw, and at the end of "To Die.." you enter in the dimension of the transcendental beyond, in 3.33.333. '''The artwork of the CD contains also several interesting symbols. You have a version of the ‘Eye of Providence’, several Egyptian hieroglyphs and some sort of a constellation. Some hints can be found on your homepage, but I would like to discuss this a bit:<br> Who is Senenmuth? Why did you pick him and did he play an important role in the ancient Egypt? How does Orion fit into this?'''<br> Senemuth was a high dignitary, astronomer and architect during the 16th or 18th dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He gained great power and influence, then he fell in disgrace. On the ceiling of his second tomb, the secret TT353, there's the first complete star map in history, a lot of time before the one by Sethi I. This star map is obviously imbued of mythologic symbology, and one of it's halves shows various figures, gods and men, sailing on small boats across the void. One of the most striking elements is the presence of three drop-like signs around the central star in the Orion's Belt. According to what we know about that time's technology, it was impossible that they were seen, but we now know (since the 70s, if i recall correctly) that there are effectively three planets around that star. The drop-like signs could represent as many planetary orbits. This all suggests fashinating implications, if verified. More information can be found in this link<br> http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/personen/senenmut/sen_t353.htm, or searching TT353 (the code of the tomb). '''Who is Roger Essig? Can write a bit about your reasons for picking his ‘God 1’ work?'''<br> I found God_1, the painting by Roger Essig, browsing the art vault of www.erowid.org. I didn't know him before and know little about him still nowadays, but I found that work very fashinating and contacted him to ask permission to use it for the album. I choose it because it depicts very well the concept of a weaved material world, a complex warping channel emanating from a single source. It's hypnotic nature and the graceful intersection of lines, united with the balance of colours, made me think it was perfect to convey the ideas of trascendental, branched and interconnected, and journey. From that basis I made the artwork grow to encompass other themes, such as tyranids, chaos and those suggestions from Senemuth's Tomb I spoke earlier of. The whole, as it should now be clear, doesn't want to convey a focused ideology or belief system, but rather an accumulation of possibilities and interrupted paths, Holzwege, using an Heidegger's term. '''Why ‘remove the flaw’?'''<br> See the earlier question about the timing of the songs. '''How have the responses been so far? Have you been able to reach out to a certain amount of folks?'''<br> No. I tried to spread the album a bit, but I'm much more prone to create something than to make it known to others. I found that I isolated too much, I lost the contacts I had in the musical scene before, and anyway had none in the doom scene. I sent the album to some labels for trades and distribution, and had a review published on doom-metal.com. After that review and the entry in metal-archives.com, some people contacted me personally to have the cd, and many more downloaded the album from our official website www.rostaudoom.com. Almost every response I had so far was very positive : I'm proud to say that "To die.." is certanly an atypical album, one which can raise interest. Surely It's not an easy-listening work, and also considering it's many flaws, I simply don't expect many people to really like it. The ones who did so far, however, found it captivating and personal. Some said "it is an album that takes time to grow" and that it " is unique. but you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it". All of these aspects are true, and I find this a compliment to the work, a confirmation of it's non-banality. Rather than selling all the copies, I was hoping to spring emotions and thoughts, and the sincere compliments I received from some people already fulfilled this desire. Someone suggested me to contact promotion agencies, but not only I don't know any, also I'm not sure I'm willing to give away the managment of the album and pay for that.. as a symbol of a part of my life, I think I prefere the personal and private contact with those who found it interesting, or spreading it in the underground, the place flourishing with passion we know. I want to add something interesting I found out right in the very last days : Rostau's songs can be found as videos on some site. I discovered this while googling. None ask me a thing, but that's not a problem itself.. I still don't like this contemporary tendency. Not only I'm an old school listener who still plays some vinyls now and then, but most importantly this album is crated to be listened from start to end. It should be a voyage, create an atmosphere, and the carved single songs loose much of their charm. Also, the infromation readable about the band is sometimes wrong or misleading. Anyway, it's still a sign of appreciation, and under that point of view I'm glad of it. '''Is there a chance that you start another experimental group? Or do you want to concentrate on something more metal oriented and less ‘fancy’?'''<br> For some years I concentrated on my other project, Distruzione di Massa. As said, it is surely more metal oriented. It also retains some "fancyness", the last EP opens with a song about knowledge whose lyrics are taken directly from the chant XXVI° from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, and it ends with Lucido, a "didascalic" song about Lucid Dreaming containing some dream recordings I took during my studies on that topic, narrating and descripting sensations and emotions. Although i'm still playing and recording something, my life as gotten rather busy and took different paths, so I'm not planning anything certain on the experimental side, nowadays. Although, I would really like to try again the experience. The last project I was working on was Zerfall, playing an old school Death-Doom with slightly experimental keyboards, and based on a concept about two galaxies collapsing one into another, and the futile struggle of the seemingly powerful civilizations in them. '''What kind of music do you listen to generally? Could you name some albums that you have enjoyed very recently?'''<br> I listen to some funeral doom, and a lot of old school death metal. Tides of Awakening and Black Vistae by Tyranny, the last album by Esoteric, Worship, the whole Skepticism discography, Mournful Congregation, Ras Algethi, and some more, united with albums from death metal bands I traded with distros thanks to the last DDM ep, like Pathogen, or big names and albums like Exstintion by Lemming Project, Phobos by Voivod (I'm crazy for this one!), Grave, Entombed, Obituary, Pestilence and so on. I listen also to some stoner and stoom, mostly early Black Sabbath, Sleep, Amerijuanican by Bongzilla.. And I wouldn't know where to place them, but recently I put on Given to the Rising from Neurosis, too. Anyway the genre I play the most is ambient. I extensively listen to Lustmord (mostly The place where the stars hang and Arecibo), Neptune Towers (both Caravans to Empire Agol and Transmission from Empire Algol). Also I listen a lot to Jon Hassel, a trumpet player creating something I would call jazz-based ambient, although probably experts on that branch of music wouldn't label it so. It's an incedibly fashinating music, the album I'm spinning these days is Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street (2009). To keep it on the non-metal side, I'm not ashamed to say that I listen a lot to the old albums by Elisa, an italian singer-songwriter. She played pop in the rock and trip-hop forms, and her voice and lyrics, expcecially in some old or not very known songs (like A Beautiful Night, Yashal, The waves, Gift, Rainbow, Creature, Dancing and many more) simply touch me inside to tears. '''Where can people acquire a copy of your release?'''<br> Directly from me, through the "have the cd" page on our website, www.rostaudoom.com ,at the price of 3 euros '''How can people contact you?'''<br> By an email located on the same website, info@rostaudoom.com '''Some final words if you like and still have enough motivation to write something.'''<br> There would be much more I'd like to say about many questions you asked me, but the nature of topics involved implicates that new thoughts spring every time I reflect on them, and this interview would never end. I know I'm far away from having been exhaustive, but I hope I could communicate sufficiently. I thank you for this opportunity and anyone who will be touched by Rostau's works, one way or another. Giulio from Rostau {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Rostau]][[Category:Italy]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Funeral Doom Metal]][[Category:2011]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2011]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Funeral Doom Metal]] </div> 1676808ae4a9e160cf858ca0e2ca248eb269f9e0 202 201 2021-07-24T16:31:41Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} '''Another interview with a band from Italy. The music scene – not only the metal one – has a lot to offer and by this I do not mean stuff like Eros Ramazotti. So, how are you? Do you think I should cover even more bands from your country?'''<br> Hi oneyoudontknow, thanks for this opportunity. I think we're all fine..I'm not in close touch with one of the members but I don't have reasons to imangine things are going otherwise than "fine", and hope it too. I'll clear out this in the next question... anyway, as for the italian bands, I must confess that I've lost contact with the musical scene (any musical scene, in fact, not just the italian one) in 2005/2006 due to personal life evolution. I can point out just a bunch of names, the first my mind recalls : first of all Ras Algethi, a great inspiration with it's demo "Oblita Divinitas" (1993), in which one of our members played. Anyone who likes funeral doom should listen to that demo, it's unique and seminal. Then Enoch, funeral doom band in which two of our members played too. Another really good italian doom act is Malasangre. One band i listened to recently was Black Land, psychedelic stoner/doom. And let's not forget Ovskum... sick black/drone/doom. Obviuosly there's not just doom in the peninsula, but to throw in random names forgetting other good ones I can't recall wouldn't be fair, so I skip any further mentioning. I make an exception for Diorrhea, a grindcore band composed of talented personal friends, who often travel Europe devastating the audience with their musical fury, and who helped me with my musical projects many times.<br> '''Would you mind introducing the members a bit and what are your/their ‘original’ bands?'''<br> The "I" speaking in this interview is Giulio. I'll just tell that I'm a guy between 20 and 30 years old living in a small town in the countryside, who spreads his interests towards way too many topics, never being able to focus and go deeply, and tries to catch the meaning and dynamics of reality. No small task, with it's joys and sorrows. I have another band, "Distruzione di Massa", a Death/Grind solo project. Also, I have a second project with the members of Rostau, named "Zerfall". It's about old school death/doom, with a paticular use of keyboards.<br> The other members are my older brother Silvio, who has a clever, adaptive eye towards what happens around him and a way sharper skill to understand than mine. Nwadays he's living around the world gaining experience. He played drums in Ras Algethi, Enoch, Albireo and other bands. Finally there's Leo, a friend at first of my brother and then also mine. He's a talented keyboard player with a nice sense of humor, and he played in many bands : nowadays in Enoch, and probably other projects I don't know anything about. Both Silvio and Leo played with me in the Zerfall project.<br> '''What does Rostau refer to? From what I could make out it somehow deals with some secret rooms or pathways below the sphinx and the pyramids of Giza.'''<br> Rostau's translation is more or less "Mouth of the Passages". It's concept is that of the gate to the Duat, an afterlife realm in the ancient egyptian religion. it should be a place both in our world and in a region of the star sky. There are a lot of theories about it's existence in the form of chambers and corridors under the sphynx, as well as relating them to some secret chamber containing power or technology long lost. On another hand, it could be related to the way the Great Pyramid worked, as related to the journey of a soul. In these last years the topic has become one of those chaotic ones in which one unorthodox side arguments important revelations against the other one, that of the official academy and it's litarature. It's hard to form a true position as most of the proposed arguments are physically beyond direct verification by the reader, or too technical to be seriously examined. In example, I certainly don't know the ancient egyptian language anyway deeply (or superficially), so I have to take most of the data in the debate as it's offered. Anyway, the sheer concept inside that interpretation of the term "Rostau", that of gate, passage and related to the trascendetal, sufficiently symbolizes what the musical project wants to suggest.'''<br> '''What made you start Rostau and why did you release only this one album? As three members are involved and due to the peculiar nature of the project it seems natural to ask whether you all knew each other and have founded the band together?'''<br> Well, Rostau started as the first tries on my first guitar. I think it was 2003, in the warm, hugging gloom of the room I had in my parents' house. I had absolutely no tecnique, I just had this bulky instrument in hand and a whirlwind of "things" to express inside. I really didn't expect what I would have brought forth. I started playing the strings and tapping them, enjoying the sound, and began choosing what notes were good after the others, which rythms suited.. and so, after many randomly delayed days, I ended up with the first riff of "Celestial Hive Mind". I had no idea that one day it would have the form one can hear today on the cd. In fact, I didn't even expect it to develope and mix with other riffs to create a song. It was just a personal creation. Even if I knew it had absolutely no tecnical value for anyone who could actually play a guitar, it was simply touching and moving me. I found it beautiful, and highly "mine". Rostau was born that days, and it developed in the same way : I wanted to express myself for my personal enjoyment, so I continued trying, stringing one note after another, finding new sounds that touched me as mine and beautiful. The strange thing is that at that time I listened to very little doom metal. That was a death, brutal and grind time of my life. When i composed the riffs of the first demo of my other musical project, Distruzione di Massa, I just imagined and played them in my head, then recorded them by voice (the results would be really comic if anyone other than me could listen them : beyond Impaled Northern Moon Forest). Finally I transposed them patiently in notes and produced midi files, which i sent along with tabs to my fellows musicians. In some way, however, the first Rostau sound was what I came to express directly with a guitar in hand. The lack of any lesson with the instrument also influenced deeply my approach to music : I had no rules or scheme to what was and was not to do. The first riff in "Ahriman" was born just because one day I discovered that the last two strings created a neat vibration in a certain combination. I remember I stayed full minutes playing just those two notes, picking one string, then another, then the first, than the other, and so, and so, and so on. Even if the amplifier I was playing in was (and still is) a discount 15watt gadget, which came with the 100€ ebay guitar, I was wrapped in the sound. Then I began trying note combinations on the same frame, and the riff came to be. Another example of this is the first riff of "to die..". I tap no string with the fingers, just pick them. Any guitarist would probably say that i'm just not playing the instrument that way.. and in a certain sense they would be right. But hey! it worked. 3.33.333 was born taking this concept of indirect guitar playing to the extreme. I won't repeat here the precise genesis of that song, it's written in detail in one section of the website. So, to gloriously return to your question after this trip, Rostau had a long gestation beforn seeing daylight. Riffs accumulated, ideas developed, and "Celestial Hive Mind" guitars were completed. In 2004, after coming back from a summer festival in Germany, one day I feeled like writing some lyrics for it. Then, with still little voice after the round of concerts (viewed, not performed!), I recorded a first previews of what that lyric could effectively sound on the track. The sighing stile was natural due to my throat conditions.. and sounded pleasing. So pleasing, despite it needed some refining work, that I kept it. All these boring anecdotes are to point out why we released only one album and how three memebers were involved : "To die and to the Stars Ascend" was thought and recorded across years, grew with me, and had not been intended for publication till the last stages of its elaboration. I produced some music to express myself, that's all. Eventually, people who listened to it coinvinced me that it had potential, and it could be turned into a real album. A unique and non-conventional one. So I asked my brother Silvio and Leo to help me out with keyboards, to compose and record them. I knew that albums relying on the ideas from just one mind are somehow limited. Far more magic is generated from the clash of different wills. I asked them this perhaps in late 2006 or the begining of 2007, and we recorded in the last days of August, after 3.33.333 had already made it's appearance. The keyboards sounds are modified excerpts of that song. By this time also my ideas about the world changed, and they did it drastically in march 2007. After the recording of the album I developed the artwork, joining together the various "ideological" aspects that had sedimented through the years in the project, and gave them unity. There's some tension in the album, being it the compression in a single piece of different and sometimes opposing forces. Just to say one or two, the low fi, analogic, old school sound of guitars and vocals joined with the digital and "mathematical" sound of the keyboards, or the union of a fictional, sci-fi fantasy elements such as Warhammer 40k and numerologic, philosophical, historical and esoteric hints. This tension symbolizes my personal evolution, while the unique recording and processing circumstances generated the sound of the album. Both these factors cannot be reproduced. So the ipothethical next Rostau album would not be anyway similar to the first one. People put albums under the same band name in comparison, building up hit parades, that in this specifical case would be pointless. It would be the same as to assign a mark and make a chart of life stages : any one of them had it's context, it's causes, it's synchronous and diachronic meaning. That doesn't mean that the inspiration behind Rostau will produce no more. Perhaps we'll have to wait another 5 years or more, but it could emerge again and show up under another name. '''On your homepage you have written that the music has been recorded over the span over several years. I wonder how you keep the attention and the interest over such a long period. Was it difficult to motivate yourself to proceed with this project? Did you ever reach a point in which it all became too much and you just wanted to get it over with?'''<br> I anticipated something about this question in the preceding one : I had no need to keep attention, to focus, as it was a personal search, a personal enjoyment. Also, as I said before I'm not one who keeps for too long or too deeply on something without feeling the urge to explore something else. Interest in Rostau grew or exstinguished over the years, and this was perfectly acceptable as I had no pressure except the one coming from myself.. and I pleased that pressure whenever it visited me. It also had an intriguing feeling to take again something left behind with a new mind, enriched by time passing and collected experience. It let me build a more complicated structure around single simple points coming from different moments. This changed only in the final stages of the production of the album. At some point I decided I wanted to conclude it and give it a stable, finished form. In that period I focused more, and felt some times of tireness. The worst part was the physical production of the cd : the music was already there and, beside the thrill of giving your work birth, the sheer procudure was sometimes annoying, expecially regarding the printing process of the digipack. There are many aspects, both technical and "burocratical", that a non-professional like me finds quite laboriuos. There had been many things, both musical and physical, I would have wanted to further polish, but I grew tired and went on with the final print.<br/> '''Did you always had this special sound and kind of arrangement in the back of your head or did this evolve over time? What had been the original intentions behind this band or album? What was it that you wanted to create?'''<br> Was this that I wanted to create? that's an hard question. That's something the variuos mes through time wanted to be that way. None of them would have liked everything in the sound or the other facets of the album, but in the end I liked it very much, even with it's flaws and contradictions. Moreover, mostly the sound was compelled by the technical equipment I had at disposal : a small amplifier, a chep guitar, zero to low musicianship, a mall-quality microphone, and a pc. But I liked it, and after some audio processing I found it evocative and intimate enough. The arrangement in particular wasn't even imaginable at the beginning of the experience. It grew as I grew, as I metabolized more music and developed new ideas in any related branch of knowledge.. literature, music, phylosophy, and so on. The keyboards expecially were a very late introduction, and sprinkled from reflections about the fullness and completeness of the overall sound and richness of the music. United with a last-hour "melodic" guitar in the title track, they even surprised me with the final effect, and now the music coverd many more frequencies, gaining variety and adding the tension I mentioned before regarding the two main classes of sounds, old school and mathematical. '''Aside from the conceptual aspect that is discussed below extensively, the musical one is interesting as well. There are a lot of influences from the drone and doom genre, while the compositions are generally rather minimalist. Why did you pick such a ‘reduced’ approach? How would you in your own words describe Rostau’s art?'''<br> Minimalism wasn't something I aimed to. As I said, the composition of the songs grew bit by bit, first through the aggregating process of basical elements, then by accumulating other single lines over the basis. In the late stages, I reached a point when music expressed everything I felt with the just the elements already merged. The overall minimalism simply is the result of this communicative goal. Sometimes the richness of arrangements interfere with this focal aspect of music. Sometimes you listen to perfectly produced, neatly executed and fully arranged music, and feel very little emotions through it. That's a try to cover a lack of seed inspiration hoping to surprise or hypnotize the listener through baroque constructions, or throwing in well-estabilished stylistic elements. Obviously I don't think that's always the case when encountering richly arranged music, and neither I'm an extremist fan of minimalism. I'm a fan of music which conveys feelings, emotions, suggestions.. That's how Rostau was born, and the goal I had in mind. At first, simple personal expression, then the same thing slightly bent to fulfill the general feel the basic elements made blink in me. Don't let me be misunderstood, I'm far from thinking the result is perfect. If it was, everything in it would be "poetry", as in Croce's aesthethic theories (which refere to literature, but could fit well also to music). Instead, there's still a lot of "structure". That's just my attempt, I hope the balance between the two favours the first. '''The title track is somehow interesting. The longer it progresses the fewer elements and facets appear until at the end everything closes with some form of silence. At last, one might say, the soul is able to leave this world and drift off into a different place. Did you always wanted to create such an experience? Was this an idea that you had in the back of your head right from the start?''' Absolutely not. The title track took it's final form very late, but very quickly. One could say that the experience created itself through me. It's not a process I can describe in an intellective manner. After the recording of the keyboards, listening and filing the sound, the idea of a deep meaning inside it blinked in my mind. That's the way of inspiration, I think. As inconscius as it was, it had some force. And as forces, as the old gods of the myth, it is a seed manifesting itself in many ways, all related. As for the general concept of the album, it has no univocal intepretation. It can be seen as many things, and none of them would be wrong. It has hints and suggestions, and one could see the journey of the sould from flesh to the parting moment, while another could visualize the gloom behind a column in an ancient desert temple, as shamans are calmly performing a ritual. Both ways are right, they are different and still could be related, they could be the expression of the same seed. What I wrote in the website is just one, the strongest of my views of it. That interpratation came after music, according to the nature of this work. The energy of non-rational expressed by music is shaped and ordered by the a subsequent moment, both by feeling and mind. That's why any way to feel the album is right, the collapsing equilibrium of the album is the form gave by me in 2008 facing something that, having evolved for long time, was somehow external. In particular, the song was initially composed of the first two sequencies. As you noticed, it proceeds evolving towards something calm, opaque, silent. The central part, that I found dramatic or even tragic, sparkled the view of death occurring, while the rest of the song had a feel of melancoly and loneliness, feelingsappropriate to the dying. The first part felt hypnotic and touching, holding a desire of meaning, a slight, sub limine question about where..what.. why. I decided to meld in the last part: like you say, a different place. That satisfied many needs, from the variety of the musical aspect, passing through the adding of a worrying hope after the melacoly of the preceeding of the music, to the fulfilling of the numerological symbol in it's duration. According to my exploration of the astral travel experience, I have found that it can occur in, as to say, two directions, like the axis of the cartesian plane. The horizontal axis, in this view, is the journey through our physycal dimension, while the vertical one is about moving to other planes. The last part of the song could represent the lingering of the soul just beyond death, contemplating quietly it's mortal shell and still remembering with a sweet smile what the carnal experience was, now distant and forgiven. Just a few moments, before pointing to the stars and journeying throug the void , free to explore and feel joy, or being attracted by some force, by fate, by cosmic laws... who knows? Anyway in this section of the album the soul it's still in the "horizontal" direction of travel. '''Sadness seems to be a core aspect of the album, at least this was an impression that I gained while listening to it. In seems natural to find such, because topics like "loss and death” are often dealt in such a way in the Western civilization. Is there no hope to break out of it? Has our culture some sort of pathological fixation on death and tries to celebrate this depressing mood in a countless varieties?''' I think that fear of death, horror before self disgregation and the end, are basical anthropological feelings innate in a being able to reflect on itself and the bewildering loss of it's kin. It seems to me that these feelings are rooted in every culture. The liberation from these thoughts comes through many means, both spiritual and intellectual. We should also distinguish between levels in culture and civilization. We could say that Western civilization has it's roots in Mesopothamic and Egyptian cultures. The epic of Gilgamesh conveys a strong, desperate feeling of sadness about the mortality of men, while in Egypt we found many hopes pointing to an afterlife, even happyness in it. Greeks too had precise views about life beyond death, expressed in their mythic cicles, but their culture also produced Epicureism, and it's calm disillusion about anything beyond the disgregation of body and soul in their corresponding heavy and thin atoms, which swirl again to form new entities. This brief schetch could go on a lot (and I don't think I'm able to draw a comprehensive or deep summary) : the point is that those ideas never reached a vast amount of people. Even talking about a single capital cultural event for the western world, as Christianity, we range from the frightened chanting peasant to the elaborations of st Augustine of Hippo, just to focus the late ancient period. On the other side, vikings hailed glorious death and embraced it with joy; romans gladly sacrificed themselves for the wellness of the Res Publica, stoicists proudly suicided when there was no way to live reasonably. But these are all generic views, strict summaries, not accounting the intimate feelings of billions of human beings through history. So we could state that how death is regarded in a sample population depends on the type and penetration strenght of a given culture, and on this culture's view about the topic. Where that culture can't reach to, the original sense of fright and loss prevails. That said, I agree when you state that, generically speaking, modern western culture is fixated in these motives and expresses them almost univocally through sorrow, fear and so on. I know Eastern culture just superficially, and cannot say what are the feelings about death of the majority of people born in that context. Through ages, man has tried to ease discomfort, and the generic western civilization started, from a moment on, to focus almost solely on technology to ease the pain. "You're doing it wrong", would some demotivational say. In the XVIII century, the cult of reason cleared the fog of superstition, leaving a barren landscape to be seen. The devaluation of anything that couldn't be measured and numbered, anything that wasn't explainable through the strict use of the intellect, struck a severe blow to the connection with the divine, already weakening after the Medieval Age. An italian poet, Leopardi, evolved through pessimism, from personal, to historical-anthorpological, to cosmic. The solution was ataraxy, something way easier to search than to acquire. Even considering Romanticism, neo-idealism and so on, it seems that materialism and pragmatism are still among the dominant concepts that lead western culture in the modern age. And getting back to the question of the levels in culture and civilization, talking about contemporary western mass culture would be simply afflicting. No surprise if nowadays, generically speaking, death (personal death, not other's.. that would require extremely long and complex disquisitions) is expressed through sorrow. But there's plenty of hope to find both inside and outside anyone - and according to some belief systems, both directions are just the same. Coming to Rostau, it's true that one could feel sadness leaking out across the listening. I pointed out many times that the core inspiration came out by iteself, the basis of the music wasn't planned rationally to be so. Then I enphasized or changed what I felt had to, according to the theme the core sounds inspired me. For example, Celestial Hive Mind indeed communicates cold sadness and deep melancoly. It has nothing to do with death though, in fact it involves the opposite : an intellect existing only to consume and absorb, until nothing in the universe will be apart from it. The act of eating never fulfilled by satisfaction. And then, after everything is Tyranid and nothing alse lives, what? terrible solitude, deep void of meaning, only the well-known growing hunger. I wouldn't label "Ahriman.." as sad, I would prefere "tragic", in the ancient greek tragedy acception. The tragedy of an unspeakable act of treason and genocide as a proud, cynic and feverish solution to a taint considered worst, an act - in the mind of Ahriman - embraced as impossible to avoid. I spoke in another question about "To die.." and it's compromise between sweet tears and shivering hopes, and then there's 3.33.333, which I still find somehow enigmatic. Could be hope, but there's some subterranean feeling of uneasiness and worry, prevailing and exploding with the last sound. '''Is 3 33 333 some sort of a final electronic requiem for a dying race? The last sound that will leave the world and enter the vastness of space, maybe recorded at some point in the future by a distant alien race. Could this be final music of this planet?'''<br> As i found during my studies, smart or innocent critique always find meanings and nuances that even the author would have never imagined. As long as there is something effectively detectable that gives a basis to the argumentation, the interpretation cannot be told wrong. That's even more true in a work like this. We're not talking about a didascalic poem, we're talking about allusive music. That said, I hope the final music of this race will be a joyful laugh, even if the idea of the electronic requiem tickles the Imp of Perverse in me, as Poe figured it. I had absolutely no intent of sort when I produced 3.33.333. It was pure experimentation, it didn't even was meant to be a song. But when placed in the context, after the final work of concept-structuring, it generates a host of different images, sensations, "trips". My personal view, the reason why I put it in that place, in that form, ending the album after "to die..", is one of hope and exploration, which could occurr after the separation of the spirit from matter. I said "could": the mentioned underlying feeling of worry expresses the uncertanity both of the ipothethic soul journeying through time-space and of the listener reflecting on what could be after death. The final sound leaves a shiver full of questions, and then there's plenty of silence to start answering. '''What kind of instruments and equipment were used for the recording?'''<br> I hinted before that the equipment at disposal was mostly entry-level. I had a cheap guitar plugged in a cheap amplifier, with no pedals. The microphone too was inexpensive, I bouth it in a tech store. Recordings were made directly into my pc.. Nowadays I use a Terratech phase 88 sound card, but at that time I think it was a simple soundblaster live. Recordings as well as post processing were accomplished through the Audition 1.5 program united with some plugins. Keyboards were also taken directly through pc, using a digital sampler, Kontakt, played on the pc keyboard using sounds taken from 3.33.333. For the drums I used the same sampler, sounds from the Drumkit From Hell and midi. I didn't mention it before : I think it's clearly hearable, drums are digital and not actually human-perfomed. I studied drums for a couple of years, and never liked drum machines or trigger sounds. The drum lines which are now on the album were meant to be temporary, but recordings proved too arduous given the situation. I tried to work out it's sounds to be as warm as I could, and the result is satisfying enough. The sound resulting on the album was therefore somehow compelled by the situation. I'll note, however, that I prefere old school, warm-feeling equipment to top quality. I prefere 80's and 90's sound also in the music I listen to, finding the ultra perfect sound you hear nowadays in any production too sterile and cold, too perfect. That's one reason why on the last Ep of my other project, Distruzione di Massa, I used an old walkman cassette recorder to take vocals, even if I could have used a minidisk or the microphone directly plugged in the pc through a mixer. Also, I absolutely prefere human errors and musician's intention to digitally obtained mathemathical precision. Even with better equipment the sound on the album would have been different, but with similar characteristics. '''How many rehearsal sessions took place for it; if you can still count them?'''<br> In the strict sense of the expression, implying people playing together in a reharsal room, none. '''You wrote to me that the music of Rostau cannot be enjoyed "straight out of the box". Why is this so?'''<br> We live in hasty times and time is money, so people might not want to explore such a complex topic like you present it on your release. I'll quote an email I sent some time ago on this very topic :<br> "I know the album is quite cryptic and cannot be fully enjoyed "straight out of the box". This was indeed meant to be. The album took many years to develop and gain it's final form. It's the fruit of many layers of passion overlapping each other, the fruit of time, experience, growth, change. I don't care about fame, so no full names, photos or detailed information were included. The music isn't probably pleasing to untrained or unprepared ears, to superficial listenings, but - and this is the central point of the question - it can gift so much if properly explored. It contains a tension in itself, a tension to explore, to find out more, to perceive the next nuance in the keyboards or just another suggestion from the atmosphere. It calls the intrigued listener to go further in the music. Still, I'm not so presumptuous to think that everyone will have the interest in doing it. And I have never been a self-advertising guy, so no links, no long texts about ideas, concepts, and music inside the album.[...]. So, to make a long story short, I left to the initiative of anyone who hears the call to explore coming from the album to find a rich prize. That's what sincere albums pull to do, and if anyone finds "to die.." to be so, even a very few people around the world, I'll feel pleased enough." And what you say about time is so painfully true, nowadays. It's getting worse year after year, noticeably. The "system" is any day more complex, and if you slow the pace a little, one hundred other sharks will outswim you. And then you freeze in the depth. And that's not the only facet of the problem : the musical world is getting simply too crowded. Anyone can make music through simple means, like I did. But too much variety ends up in confusion. I found out recently, trying to spread the last Ep of Distruzione di Massa, that standard reviews, found on generic metal websites, are nowadays short and superficial, compared to what they were in 2004/2005. One very good italian webzine I knew, Shapeless Zine, partly shutted down recently : they used to review demos and underground albums, as well as bigger names, but they had to stop receiving any material at all, as the effort of reviewing deeply and through real and metabolised listening had gotten simply impossible. It's hard even to the fanatic to disentangle from the overwhelming mass of potentially good music constantly coming out, without sacrificying the real listening experience, which should be feeling the music instead of grinding an album after another of slightly different tunes. Internet offers samples, that's true.. but considering the amount mentioned before, one risks to end up collecting a huge library of isolated songs. I know many people who have their hard disks full of albums: many of them never get a chance to be listened at all, and other stand still after one 3-song-spin or two. On the other hand, many people can enjoy music that way. I am one who tends to fossilize on the same album for a long time. I rememeber listening to Farmakon everyday for about two years, and that album frequently comes out of the speaker today, too. That's simply a way to experience music, I have many friends who can listen deeply retaining a lot of variety. The chances someone will end up enjoying "To die.." at such dept is slim, I perfectly know it. But as said, I prefere a bunch of people who feel that it's music is communicating with them and feel the pull to understand more, than selling every copy of the album to people who will leave it to dust after one absent-minded try. Exactly as I would do in person, as that album is the expression of human beings. '''To Die and to the Stars Ascend, this is the title of the release, but why do you think that in the vastness of space lies the salvation? Hell, Gehennah, Hades and the like are different examples and point in a different ‘direction’.'''<br> Just as you say, it's a direction. I scattered delucidations on my view of existance in various answers to your acute questions, so I'll try not to repeat myself. Space is vast, and the manifestations of existence are incredibly vaster. Or so it seems. Infernal world has been conceived in a great number of beliefs, from an archaic realm physically lying under the surface of earth to one fold of the universe where rejected buds of creation end up. On another axys of analysis, some say that our physical world is hell, because it's dominated by disgregation, one low state compared to higher forms of existence. So what is salvation, and how to accomplish it? the concept of salvation itself is hooked to human cathegories, such as absence of pain (another human cathegory), as many wouldn't call "salvation" the simple fact of continuing to exist, if this existence is in "hell". And still, salvation could in fact be that, and an iphothethical life in hell just a stopping place with it's own cathegories of perception. We could also evaluate the concept of evolution, binding the term "salvation" to a virtual ascension through it's stages, while "damnation" could be involution, or perhaps the inability to further evolve. We could also refere to quantic vibrations in one's soul, or one's true self. I think that there may be forces and actions in our physical universe that can leave a mark in the trascendental origin of a specific person, changing it's "colour", or "vibration", and influencing the way existance is perceived and the peculiar state it's lived in. The final goal could be completness, and completness could mean the identification of oneself into the principle of existance. Or it could be constant evolution, constant change, the way the one self of the universe experiences and knows itself through the mutable and the fragmented. Or our very human existance could even be the manifestation of a lesser order of forces (like, in example, solar system ones), a sector of the creation lower in hyerarchy respect to the only one principle - but still comprehended in that principle. In a complex and uncertain panorama like this, anyone is called to choose and form his view, and act accordingly; and even believing in nothing is still believing in something. '''When you read books of Thoreau for instance, then you recognize the wide array of his knowledge in terms of old literature and mythology. Such seems to have been lost today. Do you think that this is a bad thing and are you familiar with your own cultural literal heritage?'''<br> Myth are tales containing great power. There are many ways to interprete them, and they were an incredibly ancient vehicle of knowledge, a way to understand the nature and the universe. As such, they were symbols epitomizing the comprehension of stars and life cycles. Also, myths' story is very long, starting from the very ancient tales about the cosmos and the symbolic transmission of ethno-political facts. Facts such as the second millenium a.c invasions in the greek area, symbolized by the distruction of beasts (which on their turn embodied the cosmic and religious conceptions of some human stoks) by gods, embodiments of the new systems and dominant elites taking over the former ones. But then the myth was also philosophical speculation, literature and more. It is possible to give a punctual alchemic interpretation of Greek and Egyptian myths (and many more, considering that resemblances and underlying themes associate numerous traditions); myths feeded western literature for a great number of centuries, and sparkled wide-range speculations over human knowledge, from psycology to physics. Notice that scientific western terms derive from the ancient Greek and Latin language; language both expresses and shapes cultures, and those cultures relied deeply on myths. It's certainly bad that nowadays knowing myths is considered needless, even just for their pull to reflection and reality interpretation, if not considering the factual knowledge they carry. On the other hand, today's world is frenetical, and that which doesn't offer an immediate and tangible benefit is low-valued. I myself can't surely say to posses but lightly the mythological heritage of my culture, even if I deal with it now and them, as I study letters and philosophy at the university and being interested in topics related to mythology. Right these days I'm studying some episodes of Ovid's Metemorphoses, and it's fashinating to see how the implied power in myths finds new forms and blends into new realities with the passing of centuries, mirror and veichle of the time in which they keep letting their charge flow. Even considering the sheer influence on literature from the ancient world to the modern one, and considering that literature and culture walk together, we cannot think possible to understand our world completely ignoring the nature and content of myths. A core aspect of your music as well as the concept behind Rostau seems to be the transition from the living to the dead, from the physical basis to the transcendental one. Well, as even Plato wrote about it several thousand years ago, it seems to an aspect that mankind or the philosophers have thought about extensively. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know why it is so important to you. I'm deeply convinced that the physical world isn't the only one this universe is made of, and so I am that the material existence we call life isn't the only state a person can experience. Time and space are cathegories that appear stable, but just the experience of dreaming can easily lead to think differently. I believe that material death isn't an end, but a passage. We are part of an "everything", a manifestation of a unique source in a plane of existance, and as such, we are like an atom of a body of inconceivable complexity. I know this isn't fresh news. The central node of the question is whether a creature gifted with conscience can retain it through the stages of mutation, or not. Obviously there are hints all around us pointing towards both answers, and that's why so many people through history struggled in search of an answer. Personally, I think the universe (or better, omniverse) is far more complex than we can imagine, and something that people phylosophically reasoning tend to ignore is that between the supreme origin of anything that exists and our material experience could lie a host of different kinds of existance. Before the "light of God" we could see us under the laws of the solar system and it's powers, seeing us as shards of the essence of Tiamat knowing itself through our fragmented lives, or we could hypotesize that after death one wakes up in another kind of existence, either assuming a cyclic return to the material plane or a linear course through states, evolving. Ovidio's Methamorphosis is a vast poetical celebration of transition, each mutation is both a death and the birth of a new existence, expressed through myth and history. An essence changing form and still being the same principle, with a different material manifestation and with changed attributes in it's trascendetal form. I'm far from having answers, and I keep adjusting or changing my view as my experience grows. So many different traditions and systems could also be different expressions of the same complex truth, and this reminds me of the concept that the various religions are just the expression of the same mystic principle, the philosophia perennis. And still, this is all so limited, so human. Thomas Aquinas, after all his life of deep theological work, stated "mihi videtur ut pula" : everything I wrote seems to me like straw. Recently I've been evaluating the theories according to which a person is one of the physical manifestations of a "true self" which exists beyond the physical dimension, whose pull is to evolve through variuos incarnations. And still metempsicosis could be a partial view, not taking in account the possible existence of many layers between "physical" and "trascendetal". The concept of time we are wrapped into limits our ability to think, in this case. And we should also consider that "thinking" isn't but one way of acquiring concepts, and surely a limited one. Anyway, to go back to your question, I see the problem of life beyond death as fundamental, something not to be skipped, and I live my life accordingly, trying to never forget it's implications and trying to view things from it's peculiar wide angle. '''Two other topics are the Warhammer 40K universe and Ahriman. Could you elaborate why these have sparked your interest and the reasons for picking them?'''<br> Since I was very young, i was fashinated by the universe of warhammer 40k, it was so crude, real, poetic and tragic. I was charmed by the vastness of the context, our entire galaxy and even other ones, I was thrilled by the struggle of mankind and the display of technology whose real use was forgotten since millenia, and were created and manteined by prayers and rituals whose intimate meaning was recognized no more. I found out later that many stories which form up that universe had allegoric meaning or hidden referrals to our world's cultures. Just in example, the divinized mainteining rituals remind me of the Carmen Saliare, chanted by Salii priests during a May procession every year, and which were not intelligible by historic age Romans who heard them.. Many years ago I was an enthusiastic player of the tabletop game when I had the occasion, but mostly read the manuals thirsty for their stories and the worlds evoken. In the first time of Rostau, I was browsing a forum related to the game, and found a topic about songs having warhammer40k as inspiration. I caressed the idea of making my own ones and posting them, and that desire inspired the lyrics of Celestial Hive Mind. I never had the occasion to effectively post any news about the song when the album was published many years after, but in the meantime came Ahriman of the Thousand Sons. He's story is one of my favourites, I'm enchanted by the context of his Legion devoted to knowledge and study, which lead them on the forbidden path of knowledge. When they divined that the Horus Heresy was about to break out, they tried to inform the Emperor about the treason, but he didn't listen, as they trespassed their Pillars of Hercules. From their point of view, the Emperor betrayed them, while he unleashed the savage Space Wolves to destroy their libraries, legion and planet. Joining Horus and the powers of Chaos seemed the only option, and when the war was lost, they retired in the Eye of Terror. Living so exposed to the forces of unstableness lead them to mutation, and so Ahriman took his decision : another betrayal, towards his own brothers. His Rubric spell destroyed every Thousand Son lacking psychical powers, reducing their bodies to ashes, nullifying their minds and sealing their spirits in their armours. Psykers like him and the excellence of the Legion were cleansed from the taint of chaos, and had their powers enhanced. Magnus, their primarch, banished him from their planet in the Eye of Terror, and Ahriman wander the galaxy since then, plotting and pursuing his schemes. That's touching and deep, and when I had a first basis for the song, I used the story's suggestions to build it around the climax of the Ahriman spell. The macro-concept in the album came later, through various stages of elaboration, and I decided to keep these themes to create a unique thematic balance involving ideas and suggestions from different spheres of thought. Anyone can interpete this as he founds appropriate, my personal view is quite complex, sprinkled from my own exploration on the world of dreams and lucid dreams. Dreams are neither stable nor physical. However they have their relative dimensions of time and space. "Somewhere", they are. Experiencies in dreams affect the one living them, they're just a different kind of information and effect respect to the experience in physical world. Veraciuos dreams leave a memory. The most realistic ones involve many human senses, and I remember clearly the air caressing my body from the variuos times I flew trough it. These memories aren't very different from memories collected through physical experience of the world. I just know that they happened in a different plane than the physical one. This led me to think about the wolds of invention as instable forms existing or having existed in some fold of the complex universe of ours (as any thought, in it's peculiar way of being). Who knows, in another state of existence, a soul could end up travelling through one such world. That's just a suggestion, I don't take this as a stable point in my conception of reality. I have no truths in hand, and have evolved my view many times. However, when reaching a high control of lucid dreaming, theorically it could be possible to create, in example, a shard of the universe of warhammer 40k and act in it. Technically the context would be created by you (you don't end up in a context thought by another person), but the lucid and rational point of the iceberg would journey in a setting generated by the inconscious, and therefore unpredictable. And nonetheless, such a dream would be part of the experiences of the dreamer, shaping his reality and essence, and "existing", as the universe is a vast light filtered through the prism of anyone's self, anyone being the principle of his own peculiar reality. We could imagine that the reality of the soul in 3.33.333 includes a 40k experience, and that the first two songs are expressions of some facets of that experience. '''On the former issue: do you play it as table deck and/or in the computer version? I have merely played the computer versions so far, but I have to admit that this had been a lot of fun. It seems like a very cruel and brutal universe; a place with little mercy.'''<br> I started playing the tabletop version after having been interested for long time in the background of the warhammer 40k universe, and after starting painting miniatures. With the passing of years various pc games came out related to that world; the first one i put my hand on was SPace Hulk : an atypical first person shooter with a strong tactical component set in a specifical setting carved out of the whole : the exploration of giant space wrecks, known as Hulks, by Blood Angels' Terminators. The potential discovery of ancient forgotten technology lead to the discovery of the genestealer and chaotic infestation in the Hulks. It was very claustrophobic, set in labyrinths of narrow corridors where the bulky terminator armours of the space marines had troubles maneuvering, while an unlimited number of the insect like genestealers rushed to you and your squad from everywhere. I remember I was thrilled and charmed by the atmosphere of the game, tense and desperate. You could hear the other squadmates screaming and swearing vengeance in the radio, and at those times (something like 1995) that was something incredible. Nowadays the boardgame version of Space Hulk is the only thing I still play, along with Battlefleet Gothic (a tabletop battle of starships, intricate and stunningly refined. And the miniatures are awesome). Then, on pc, I played intensly to Chaos Game. The most bugged pc game ever, it was far more similar to the tabletop version. It too had a great atmosphere, very pleasing for the scenarios, the tactical system and... well, the possibility to command a loyal transposition of space marines in a long and structured campaign! I would paly it still today, if i had time and could manage to get it working. Then came Dawn of War. This last game, while spectacular and amusing, reflects the more cinematographic nature of the games evolution through the years. The old material was more mature and "shaded" and soffused, far richer in starting points to raise the thoughts view to our-world tematics. The emotions it provoked were deeper and less black-and-white. The whole had a less pompous and superficial taste, it wasn't child-oriented, and from that period come the most intriguing core ideas of the system. Necrons are perhaps the better product of the recent period with their Gods, the C'tan, cosmic entities that once feeded on stars. Then, called by a dying race and seducted into living metal bodies, they discovered the pleasures of flesh and started to have a testa for living essences as food. Deceived by one of them, and an Eldar God, the Great Arlequin, they found that the most deliciuos essence in the universe was that of another C'Tan. They destroyed themselves in a fratricidal genocide, till only four of them remained, powerful and very different in nature. Anyway, what you say is true : It's a brutal and mercyless universe, where the life of the individual has no value, and where the survival of the race (almost every race : to tell the truth, some of them like the Tyranids don't care about it at all) justifies any means. A very delicate balance of constant war in a depersonalizing galaxy-wide horizon. Just in example, there's the Golden Throne : a gargantuan machinery devoted to the survival of the mortal shell of the Immortal Emperor God of Mankind, that once walked among "us". Wounded to the threshold of death by his genetically generated son Horus (in a rebellion that echoes the one of the biblical Lucifer), he has been sustained for 10 000 years, so that his spirit can be anchored to the material plane. The Golden Throne is nourished by the constant sacrifice of human psykers, whose soul is consumed so that the spirit of the Emperor can keep assisting and guiding mankind. The psyker themself, on the other hand, are gathered across the galaxy by the Black Ships of Inquisition, since they threaten the human race with their genetic deviance, their uncontrolled powers and their being potential portals for the demons of the warp. The strongest and most talented ones are trained to serve mankind, the majority is immolated for the same cause. '''Aside from the concept and also the tracks appear in a rather surprising style: The first 3 songs were produced to be precisely 11.01.111, while the last was 3.33.333. (Total playing time : 36.36.666) [quote from the homepage]<br> I guess this might leave people a little bit bewildered. Why this extreme precision and what is the meaning behind this numerical code?'''<br> At first the idea came by chance, as for the rest of the album. The first two songs ended up being 11.01.xxx minutes long, and having already elaborated part of the life, death and resurrection ideas behind the concept, I decided to add a further piece of the puzzle. Always fashinated by numerology, I picked the occasion to extend the suggestions of the album : in the duality between 1 and 0, one represent fullness, the essence, while zero the void, the absence. In a context like that of the album, which could suggest a vision of the universe as a manifestazion of perfect fullness discovering itself in the fragmentation, the flawed series of ones (11.01.111) can symbolize the conscient being in it's experiential dimension : removing the flaw, that is the absence, only the essence remains, perfection. 3 is traditionally related to the divine and perfection, and by summing the 1s of the three manifestations of man (body, mind and soul) we get three times 3, with a 3 graphically added in any repetition (3.33.333). The implications on the musical plane are that the first three songs represent a material and corporeal experience, so comprising the flaw, and at the end of "To Die.." you enter in the dimension of the transcendental beyond, in 3.33.333. '''The artwork of the CD contains also several interesting symbols. You have a version of the ‘Eye of Providence’, several Egyptian hieroglyphs and some sort of a constellation. Some hints can be found on your homepage, but I would like to discuss this a bit:<br> Who is Senenmuth? Why did you pick him and did he play an important role in the ancient Egypt? How does Orion fit into this?'''<br> Senemuth was a high dignitary, astronomer and architect during the 16th or 18th dynasty in Ancient Egypt. He gained great power and influence, then he fell in disgrace. On the ceiling of his second tomb, the secret TT353, there's the first complete star map in history, a lot of time before the one by Sethi I. This star map is obviously imbued of mythologic symbology, and one of it's halves shows various figures, gods and men, sailing on small boats across the void. One of the most striking elements is the presence of three drop-like signs around the central star in the Orion's Belt. According to what we know about that time's technology, it was impossible that they were seen, but we now know (since the 70s, if i recall correctly) that there are effectively three planets around that star. The drop-like signs could represent as many planetary orbits. This all suggests fashinating implications, if verified. More information can be found in this link<br> http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/personen/senenmut/sen_t353.htm, or searching TT353 (the code of the tomb). '''Who is Roger Essig? Can write a bit about your reasons for picking his ‘God 1’ work?'''<br> I found God_1, the painting by Roger Essig, browsing the art vault of www.erowid.org. I didn't know him before and know little about him still nowadays, but I found that work very fashinating and contacted him to ask permission to use it for the album. I choose it because it depicts very well the concept of a weaved material world, a complex warping channel emanating from a single source. It's hypnotic nature and the graceful intersection of lines, united with the balance of colours, made me think it was perfect to convey the ideas of trascendental, branched and interconnected, and journey. From that basis I made the artwork grow to encompass other themes, such as tyranids, chaos and those suggestions from Senemuth's Tomb I spoke earlier of. The whole, as it should now be clear, doesn't want to convey a focused ideology or belief system, but rather an accumulation of possibilities and interrupted paths, Holzwege, using an Heidegger's term. '''Why ‘remove the flaw’?'''<br> See the earlier question about the timing of the songs. '''How have the responses been so far? Have you been able to reach out to a certain amount of folks?'''<br> No. I tried to spread the album a bit, but I'm much more prone to create something than to make it known to others. I found that I isolated too much, I lost the contacts I had in the musical scene before, and anyway had none in the doom scene. I sent the album to some labels for trades and distribution, and had a review published on doom-metal.com. After that review and the entry in metal-archives.com, some people contacted me personally to have the cd, and many more downloaded the album from our official website www.rostaudoom.com. Almost every response I had so far was very positive : I'm proud to say that "To die.." is certanly an atypical album, one which can raise interest. Surely It's not an easy-listening work, and also considering it's many flaws, I simply don't expect many people to really like it. The ones who did so far, however, found it captivating and personal. Some said "it is an album that takes time to grow" and that it " is unique. but you have to be in the right mood to enjoy it". All of these aspects are true, and I find this a compliment to the work, a confirmation of it's non-banality. Rather than selling all the copies, I was hoping to spring emotions and thoughts, and the sincere compliments I received from some people already fulfilled this desire. Someone suggested me to contact promotion agencies, but not only I don't know any, also I'm not sure I'm willing to give away the managment of the album and pay for that.. as a symbol of a part of my life, I think I prefere the personal and private contact with those who found it interesting, or spreading it in the underground, the place flourishing with passion we know. I want to add something interesting I found out right in the very last days : Rostau's songs can be found as videos on some site. I discovered this while googling. None ask me a thing, but that's not a problem itself.. I still don't like this contemporary tendency. Not only I'm an old school listener who still plays some vinyls now and then, but most importantly this album is crated to be listened from start to end. It should be a voyage, create an atmosphere, and the carved single songs loose much of their charm. Also, the infromation readable about the band is sometimes wrong or misleading. Anyway, it's still a sign of appreciation, and under that point of view I'm glad of it. '''Is there a chance that you start another experimental group? Or do you want to concentrate on something more metal oriented and less ‘fancy’?'''<br> For some years I concentrated on my other project, Distruzione di Massa. As said, it is surely more metal oriented. It also retains some "fancyness", the last EP opens with a song about knowledge whose lyrics are taken directly from the chant XXVI° from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, and it ends with Lucido, a "didascalic" song about Lucid Dreaming containing some dream recordings I took during my studies on that topic, narrating and descripting sensations and emotions. Although i'm still playing and recording something, my life as gotten rather busy and took different paths, so I'm not planning anything certain on the experimental side, nowadays. Although, I would really like to try again the experience. The last project I was working on was Zerfall, playing an old school Death-Doom with slightly experimental keyboards, and based on a concept about two galaxies collapsing one into another, and the futile struggle of the seemingly powerful civilizations in them. '''What kind of music do you listen to generally? Could you name some albums that you have enjoyed very recently?'''<br> I listen to some funeral doom, and a lot of old school death metal. Tides of Awakening and Black Vistae by Tyranny, the last album by Esoteric, Worship, the whole Skepticism discography, Mournful Congregation, Ras Algethi, and some more, united with albums from death metal bands I traded with distros thanks to the last DDM ep, like Pathogen, or big names and albums like Exstintion by Lemming Project, Phobos by Voivod (I'm crazy for this one!), Grave, Entombed, Obituary, Pestilence and so on. I listen also to some stoner and stoom, mostly early Black Sabbath, Sleep, Amerijuanican by Bongzilla.. And I wouldn't know where to place them, but recently I put on Given to the Rising from Neurosis, too. Anyway the genre I play the most is ambient. I extensively listen to Lustmord (mostly The place where the stars hang and Arecibo), Neptune Towers (both Caravans to Empire Agol and Transmission from Empire Algol). Also I listen a lot to Jon Hassel, a trumpet player creating something I would call jazz-based ambient, although probably experts on that branch of music wouldn't label it so. It's an incedibly fashinating music, the album I'm spinning these days is Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street (2009). To keep it on the non-metal side, I'm not ashamed to say that I listen a lot to the old albums by Elisa, an italian singer-songwriter. She played pop in the rock and trip-hop forms, and her voice and lyrics, expcecially in some old or not very known songs (like A Beautiful Night, Yashal, The waves, Gift, Rainbow, Creature, Dancing and many more) simply touch me inside to tears. '''Where can people acquire a copy of your release?'''<br> Directly from me, through the "have the cd" page on our website, www.rostaudoom.com ,at the price of 3 euros '''How can people contact you?'''<br> By an email located on the same website, info@rostaudoom.com '''Some final words if you like and still have enough motivation to write something.'''<br> There would be much more I'd like to say about many questions you asked me, but the nature of topics involved implicates that new thoughts spring every time I reflect on them, and this interview would never end. I know I'm far away from having been exhaustive, but I hope I could communicate sufficiently. I thank you for this opportunity and anyone who will be touched by Rostau's works, one way or another. Giulio from Rostau {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Interview]][[Category:Rostau]][[Category:Italy]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Funeral Doom Metal]][[Category:2011]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2011]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Funeral Doom Metal]] </div> 2c727dcfed95bde7e1118aed609bc7783cb1cb0a 0 93 203 2021-07-26T20:19:05Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Slices of home-made lasagne sheets hung over this concert like a guillotine. The band, while being on good spirits and motivated in terms of the conc..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Slices of home-made lasagne sheets hung over this concert like a guillotine. The band, while being on good spirits and motivated in terms of the concert, was also anxious to plunge the forks into this Italian dish in order to devour it mercilessly; hopefully they did not gulp it down with Australian wine. The rather large audience (in the stream) was made aware of this fact throughout the concert, but looking at it from now on, it opens up a few questions: * Was the dish ready ... ready in the sense of that it could be eaten immediately? * Would it be necessary to heat it up again (not a favourite thing to do in terms of lasagne)? * Would everyone of the folks in the room get a piece of it? Piano and guitars plus a weird cheap keyboard were used in order to set the stage in terms of the music. Merpire aka Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt would be the person to add some vocals to it. Together a really fascinating piece of music unraveled and the living-room atmosphere did its part to foment this impression. Compared with the music on the album "Simulation Ride" the tunes are less intense and less energetic, but it never felt as if this was a problem. It was not as minimalist as the performance of Jesca Hoop's The Deconstruction of Jack’s House, but it was not too far off. Presumably all tracks of "Simulation Ride" were offered and some additional ones requested by the audience, whose thirst for music was rather grand[1]. But with a lasagne looming large on the horizon or from the kitchen, not more than roughly forty-five minutes were offered. And therefore those minutes and tracks were over far too soon... similar to a well prepared and with home-made lasagne. The tags attributed to the aforementioned release range from pop to rock and alternative and this is what you get. A lot of catchy tunes, a great atmosphere and stuff. One question remains at the end: by what will the band be lured away on the next stream? Cannelloni, Gnocchi or a Carbonara? [1]the writer of these lines had absolutely no clue about the band's music prior to this live stream. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Merpire]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Rock]][[Category:Alternative]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Rock]] [[Genre::Alternative]] [[Band::Merpire]][[Date::2021-07-24]] </div> f5335df068531f1b5a5624e95657c3496e0720e6 0 94 204 2021-07-28T17:34:26Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Following in line with the presentation of the "Ripples" release, also the title of this one hardly explains itself easily. Because we are actually a..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Following in line with the presentation of the "Ripples" release, also the title of this one hardly explains itself easily. Because we are actually able to listen to something, yes let us ignore those musical outputs similar to John Cage for a moment, and even though Apathy as well as Silence indicate much of a definite direction in terms of music and expression, it is possible to experience something of the sort. In case of this output, it an be pointed towards an circling around itself, a spinning in a certain circle, an idea that finds expression in certain but nevertheless distinct "regions". And even though the music follows in line with where the band had left off on the preceding album, it is nevertheless of a different kind. With a layer that helps to set the musical basis, another one on top will lead the listener along. And while this is true for most of the previous release and this one as well, there is an exception of course. Interestingly in this case, it is possible to identify it right from the start. A minimalist ambient or at times drone influences texture in the background helps to set the overall mood, while on top repetitive motifs or arrangements appear. But this approach is not strictly followed through over the course of the release. "The Gathering of Angels" with odd sounds and arrangements deviates in a stark kind of way from all other pieces of music on this album. Naturally, the question arises why this is actually the case and what deeper meaning can be found in the approach and not to mention the arrangements that can be found in this one composition. Maybe it is a prerequisite to have such a conflicting element on an album in order to establish ... yes ... in order to establish what? Without words or something definite all is open to speculation. "Apathy and Silence" comes with an increased amount of presence, though. The music is less condensed into a single musical sphere or layer, but attempts to provide each with a bit more space and clarity. Would this be the reason for two terms in the title? Is this increase in expression also the reason the cover artwork comes over as more distinguishable? Whatever the explanation behind all this may be, the quality of the music differs to some extent and it feels as if it has seen a slight dip. Somehow the atmosphere feels off and slightly too intense. What had been dreamy once, has moved to something less engaging and fascinating. This is definitely confusing, because the similarities in expressing the ideas, the musical setting are quite similar and alike. There is no clear break or reinvention so to speak. Instead it appears that the roles of the facets have received some polishing or some exploration, which at times results in this clarity that is not entirely convincing. Why apathy? Why silence? While it is open to debate whether both, either or even neither of these have a positive connotation, the implications that are attributed to them are most certainly different than the ones regarding ripples. It is much more food for thoughts with this output and maybe this is the reason it is more to difficult to take a dive into it. Maybe this additional demand, this slight lack in easiness is what make it a bit off-putting. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Pechblende]][[Category:Unknown]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Ambient]] </div> 470b787ae0a1bd2fc69eed4901510d0b7da4641e 0 95 205 2021-07-28T17:54:53Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} It is in the continuity of the music that one should look for; its underlying idea. As indicated, steadiness appears to be key and finds expression i..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It is in the continuity of the music that one should look for; its underlying idea. As indicated, steadiness appears to be key and finds expression in the uttermost basic level of the music on this recording. Ripples, a chaotic but still somewhat predictable thing in all natural environments with elements of waters in it. All it takes is a slight amount of energy in order to create a sense of motion into the molecules of the liquid and the physical effect can be discovered. Shake the ground -- to put it very very simple -- and something of equal sorts can happen. Ripples are not created out of itself. There is always something or someone that can be pointed towards as having initiated them, as having provided the necessary energy. Ripples are a result and not a cause. Then how does this aspect and the music hinge together? Are those noises, those textures, those motifs an expression on how music should be seen? Is it merely a result of an impetus on an artist that has found expression through this means and into this form? As everything can be pointed towards as just that, this argument is valid but also rather meaningless. If all holds true, nothing holds true. Somehow the strangest aspect of this release are those samples that had been added on top of the basic drone/ambient texture(s). With the ideas of ripples in the back of the head, one may wonder whether these are the result or the initial element; which of these sound would impact and be the source. Hints of industrial, hints of piano fragments, hints of melodies can be found. The track "Submerged" has these for instance. And even though they are able to merge with the overall sound and direction of the music, the additional intensity of those sounds comes is something uncalled for. With a rather calm and steady atmosphere and with generally little interference from whatever kind of source, not much would be able to break the flow of the music. As such, it is odd to experience these counterpoints throughout the album. Pechblende's music is a calm kind of ambient with drone elements. It can all be summed up as a steady textures in the background, which have slightly varied and repeated motifs on top of them. All is in a flow. Most of it is nice, most of it is gentle. Accordingly, Ripples has a comparably warm atmosphere and is something that can be enjoyed without music effort. As the cover indicates, the music is rather dark and minimalist. It is reduced on a small set of elements and sounds. Music does not need much and this album is a good example for this. The performance on this release attempts to keep a balance between what can be done in this setting, but without exploring the realms of the avant-garde too much. Most of the tracks help to set the mood for relaxation and may help to calm down and to contemplate. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]] </div> 978f0ecf18b8bbf64e34631cb645df7491b69cb5 206 205 2021-07-28T17:55:15Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Yes, it is nice to be reminded that nature is raw and it is nice to experience what it contributes to this track; no royalties given to it, I presume. Its contribution can be experienced in the second of two tracks. There the minimal drone texture is absent and through this the sound of nature is revealed. That is why this track is indeed raw. With only the sound of the environment -- the chirping of birds mostly --, an unmistakably reduced experience is presented to the listener. The urbanist is reminded on the loss, which might only become apparent by being reminded on these sounds or impressions. Interestingly, with only the texture around, the sounds of nature come over as more intense as well as with more clarity. Is this additional element equal to what a spice can bring to an otherwise well balanced, yet overall nevertheless limited dish? The cover artwork is lucid. It is an overexposed photography. It is an arrangement of superimposed elements. A palimpsest so to speak. Contrary to the music, of which it is a visual accompaniment, less could be more in this regard. Less artificiality in the expression would reveal the underlying focal element of the picture. Here it is not to accentuate the "natural", a statue is always man-made and therefore not "pure" in the sense of belonging to the non-human realm, but rather to prepare the listener for the amalgam of slightly contrasting facets. With two times six minutes and thirty-three seconds the music is all in all rather like a small bite. One for the body, one for the mind. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]] </div> 1b1f66d603a940a93af5e2a492db9efbac8d2bd9 0 96 207 2021-08-31T19:49:39Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} 02.10.2020 or as it was written October 2, 2020 is actually 20 20 20. There are two tracks on this release. One normal, one acoustic. The first con..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} 02.10.2020 or as it was written October 2, 2020 is actually 20 20 20. There are two tracks on this release. One normal, one acoustic. The first contains a layer of ambience, while the latter has an accompanying guitar. Two elements. There is a voice as well. Together this makes two. In either case and not in total, but let us not be nit-picky. Of course the game can be stretched even further. Two tracks, two words -- in case of the first, and two by two in terms of the second one. Headphones are recommended in regard to this release. The fragility of the sounds, the vagueness of the melodies and their layers might be best experienced this way. A voice that leads the way. It sings, tells and leads along, while in the distance reverb and ambience add volume to the sound. Interestingly the first track is nearly double in length and it is much more atmospheric, much more otherworldly than the acoustic version. This opener has a haunting and maybe even mystic atmosphere. A stark contrast marks the second one and because of the clarity in which the music is presented it makes it all more accessible, but takes something of the definiteness away, something of the charm. A beach is a weird place. It can be used to gather, it can be used to enter a place, it can be the last place in case someone leaves for the sea. Pieces can be washed ashore, sand can be taken away. A beach is a place of constant change and this is what can be found on the cover. It is known today, unknown tomorrow. Sadly, this release would be too short ... similar to the fleeting moments on the beach. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Ayami Suzuki]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Acoustic]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Acoustic]][[Genre::Ambient]] </div> 285a4fe67e80416c2d98d58c3b7ac16057e746a6 208 207 2021-08-31T19:57:22Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} 02.10.2020 or as it was written October 2, 2020 is actually 20 20 20. There are two tracks on this release. One normal, one acoustic. The first contains a layer of ambience, while the latter has an accompanying guitar. Two elements. There is a voice as well. Together this makes two. In either case and not in total, but let us not be nit-picky. Of course the game can be stretched even further. Two tracks, two words -- in case of the first, and two by two in terms of the second one. Headphones are recommended in regard to this release. The fragility of the sounds, the vagueness of the melodies and their layers might be best experienced this way. A voice that leads the way. It sings, tells and leads along, while in the distance reverb and ambience add volume to the sound. Interestingly the first track is nearly double in length and it is much more atmospheric, much more otherworldly than the acoustic version. This opener has a haunting and maybe even mystic atmosphere. A stark contrast marks the second one and because of the clarity in which the music is presented it makes it all more accessible, but takes something of the definiteness away, something of the charm. A beach is a weird place. It can be used to gather, it can be used to enter a place, it can be the last place in case someone leaves for the sea. Pieces can be washed ashore, sand can be taken away. A beach is a place of constant change and this is what can be found on the cover. It is known today, unknown tomorrow. Sadly, this release would be too short ... similar to the fleeting moments on the beach. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Ayami Suzuki]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Acoustic]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Acoustic]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2021-08-31 </div> 02dd0154617a2c151fd9b0cec127001932838031 218 208 2021-09-13T19:42:22Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} 02.10.2020 or as it was written October 2, 2020 is actually 20 20 20. There are two tracks on this release. One normal, one acoustic. The first contains a layer of ambience, while the latter has an accompanying guitar. Two elements. There is a voice as well. Together this makes two. In either case and not in total, but let us not be nit-picky. Of course the game can be stretched even further. Two tracks, two words -- in case of the first, and two by two in terms of the second one. Headphones are recommended in regard to this release. The fragility of the sounds, the vagueness of the melodies and their layers might be best experienced this way. A voice that leads the way. It sings, tells and leads along, while in the distance reverb and ambience add volume to the sound. Interestingly the first track is nearly double in length and it is much more atmospheric, much more otherworldly than the acoustic version. This opener has a haunting and maybe even mystic atmosphere. A stark contrast marks the second one and because of the clarity in which the music is presented it makes it all more accessible, but takes something of the definiteness away, something of the charm. A beach is a weird place. It can be used to gather, it can be used to enter a place, it can be the last place in case someone leaves for the sea. Pieces can be washed ashore, sand can be taken away. A beach is a place of constant change and this is what can be found on the cover. It is known today, unknown tomorrow. Sadly, this release would be too short ... similar to the fleeting moments on the beach. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Ayami Suzuki]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Acoustic]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Acoustic]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2021-08-31]] </div> 889a898db80f67c495d32df47d5a2ada873c8780 0 1 209 198 2021-08-31T19:57:34Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews at the Metal Archives] Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 61671f981c6ba983249e6eac18bfd16e930a4723 210 209 2021-08-31T19:57:52Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki The site is currently been redone ... and therefore all is a bit rudimentary. {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews at the Metal Archives] Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 1206b936fe1819fe19272130cedad42a1b339388 0 95 211 206 2021-08-31T20:36:24Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Yes, it is nice to be reminded that nature is raw and it is nice to experience what it contributes to this track; no royalties given to it, I presume. Its contribution can be experienced in the second of two tracks. There the minimal drone texture is absent and through this the sound of nature is revealed. That is why this track is indeed raw. With only the sound of the environment -- the chirping of birds mostly --, an unmistakably reduced experience is presented to the listener. The urbanist is reminded on the loss, which might only become apparent by being reminded on these sounds or impressions. Interestingly, with only the texture around, the sounds of nature come over as more intense as well as with more clarity. Is this additional element equal to what a spice can bring to an otherwise well balanced, yet overall nevertheless limited dish? The cover artwork is lucid. It is an overexposed photography. It is an arrangement of superimposed elements. A palimpsest so to speak. Contrary to the music, of which it is a visual accompaniment, less could be more in this regard. Less artificiality in the expression would reveal the underlying focal element of the picture. Here it is not to accentuate the "natural", a statue is always man-made and therefore not "pure" in the sense of belonging to the non-human realm, but rather to prepare the listener for the amalgam of slightly contrasting facets. With two times six minutes and thirty-three seconds the music is all in all rather like a small bite. One for the body, one for the mind. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2021]] </div> 4f8cb8610f7d65286e7da6eb4af3a8d7af8d3ea8 0 97 212 2021-08-31T20:38:40Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} It is a play in some respect. It is a play with perception and expectations. On the one hand there are the additional sound elements added by Yuri Ur..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It is a play in some respect. It is a play with perception and expectations. On the one hand there are the additional sound elements added by Yuri Urano, while on the other there is the unmistakable clarity of nature itself. Which of these experiences evokes more of an image? Which of these would spark a sensation in the mind? First a track with a strange repetitious melody, whose conception has something of the stupendous tasks that some people might attribute to sprits and how they live and behave. Here a childish folly, there a weird waltz and there something utterly incomprehensible. Rhythm adds something, rhythm diverts from something and the rhythms changes over time. This juxtaposition is weird and charming at time. One might hope to watch, hope to join in, hope to make it last. Without the additional sound effects there is only nature, only the sound of nature. A gentle flow and murmuring of a small flow of water. Nothing spectacular, nothing that by itself would evoke an image or create a sensation. Maybe it would be something to contemplate to, something to put your feet in, something to sit idle by, while enjoying a book. Which is it then? {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2021-08-31]] </div> e0986c037780ba114339679780c0a121199dfedd 0 98 213 2021-09-09T18:47:15Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Similar to the cover artwork: somewhat unfocussed. 65 <i>The Shuyet (shadow) is described in funerary texts as a powerful entity which both requires..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Similar to the cover artwork: somewhat unfocussed. 65 <i>The Shuyet (shadow) is described in funerary texts as a powerful entity which both requires protection and offers protection</i> [1]. According to the Facebook page of the band, the members originated in Egypt, but have since moved to Germany. This explains the imagery that appears on the front cover. No, there is no bowl of sauerkraut, white sausages and lederhosen. The entry of the Metal Archives [2] is rather curious, because according to the band line-up as well as the one presented for this release, there is no vocalist. Three persons and each in their own kind of way torment an instrument. Well, someone has to do it, since there are lyrics expressed in each of the three compositions. The all too common mystery that tends to enshroud black metal bands in one way or another. ??? is a talker. What is a talker? Well, it is a vocalist whose part in the music takes over a rather large spot and is a somewhat focal point. First the vocals, then the rest. With some kind of sinister croaking, speaking, screaming ??? sets the mood somehow and the instruments do their best to support him. A rather solid performance, but as the vocals set the pace and take a lot of room, breaks and surprising elements are not something that can be discovered. The black metal itself is not bad. In terms of dynamics the band likes to offer some extremes in either direction, which is a nice facet. At times it feels like they would wander off in the direction of intense music like the one by early Dark Funeral or Triumphator, then it is a like Mayhem at others. To have melodic or rather distinctive short moments in which the guitars are able to shine appears to be of some importance to the musicians. It attempts to adhere to the old-school crowd as well to those who fancy slightly modern stuff. While we are at it, this band does not mess around with samples or sounds of Egypt or Egyptian mythology. Aside from a calm intro and outro the music is black metal in a variety of facets [3]. The word shuyet indicated a rather dualistic nature: it offers and demands. This schism is apparent in the music, which at this point, as it is the band's first release, does not appear to be utterly convincing. Those three tracks linger between good and solid, but are not engaging or would spark a lasting impression. Maybe someone should also take the mic away from ??? now and then. <u>Note:</u> 1: https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/soul/ 2: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Shuyet/3540465757 3: These calm moments make up nearly three minutes; 1 and 2 respectively. This is a lot considering the release is not even twenty minutes long. This review was written on a promo package provided by Seance Records. The quality of the MP3s was only around 265 kbps. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Shuyet]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Date::2021-09-09]] </div> 712e1578abf552804ce24b4bdf8ce231a7e29cdc 214 213 2021-09-09T18:47:47Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Similar to the cover artwork: somewhat unfocussed. 65 <i>The Shuyet (shadow) is described in funerary texts as a powerful entity which both requires protection and offers protection</i> [1]. According to the Facebook page of the band, the members originated in Egypt, but have since moved to Germany. This explains the imagery that appears on the front cover. No, there is no bowl of sauerkraut, white sausages and lederhosen. The entry of the Metal Archives [2] is rather curious, because according to the band line-up as well as the one presented for this release, there is no vocalist. Three persons and each in their own kind of way torment an instrument. Well, someone has to do it, since there are lyrics expressed in each of the three compositions. The all too common mystery that tends to enshroud black metal bands in one way or another. ??? is a talker. What is a talker? Well, it is a vocalist whose part in the music takes over a rather large spot and is a somewhat focal point. First the vocals, then the rest. With some kind of sinister croaking, speaking, screaming ??? sets the mood somehow and the instruments do their best to support him. A rather solid performance, but as the vocals set the pace and take a lot of room, breaks and surprising elements are not something that can be discovered. The black metal itself is not bad. In terms of dynamics the band likes to offer some extremes in either direction, which is a nice facet. At times it feels like they would wander off in the direction of intense music like the one by early Dark Funeral or Triumphator, then it is a like Mayhem at others. To have melodic or rather distinctive short moments in which the guitars are able to shine appears to be of some importance to the musicians. It attempts to adhere to the old-school crowd as well to those who fancy slightly modern stuff. While we are at it, this band does not mess around with samples or sounds of Egypt or Egyptian mythology. Aside from a calm intro and outro the music is black metal in a variety of facets [3]. The word shuyet indicated a rather dualistic nature: it offers and demands. This schism is apparent in the music, which at this point, as it is the band's first release, does not appear to be utterly convincing. Those three tracks linger between good and solid, but are not engaging or would spark a lasting impression. Maybe someone should also take the mic away from ??? now and then. <u>Note:</u> <li>1: https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/soul/</li> <li>2: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Shuyet/3540465757</li> <li>3: These calm moments make up nearly three minutes; 1 and 2 respectively. This is a lot considering the release is not even twenty minutes long. </li> This review was written on a promo package provided by Seance Records. The quality of the MP3s was only around 265 kbps. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Shuyet]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Date::2021-09-09]] </div> aa55a3b4a6d217c4c2d36d8ecbea89f002c43208 215 214 2021-09-09T18:48:00Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Similar to the cover artwork: somewhat unfocussed. 65 <i>The Shuyet (shadow) is described in funerary texts as a powerful entity which both requires protection and offers protection</i> [1]. According to the Facebook page of the band, the members originated in Egypt, but have since moved to Germany. This explains the imagery that appears on the front cover. No, there is no bowl of sauerkraut, white sausages and lederhosen. The entry of the Metal Archives [2] is rather curious, because according to the band line-up as well as the one presented for this release, there is no vocalist. Three persons and each in their own kind of way torment an instrument. Well, someone has to do it, since there are lyrics expressed in each of the three compositions. The all too common mystery that tends to enshroud black metal bands in one way or another. ??? is a talker. What is a talker? Well, it is a vocalist whose part in the music takes over a rather large spot and is a somewhat focal point. First the vocals, then the rest. With some kind of sinister croaking, speaking, screaming ??? sets the mood somehow and the instruments do their best to support him. A rather solid performance, but as the vocals set the pace and take a lot of room, breaks and surprising elements are not something that can be discovered. The black metal itself is not bad. In terms of dynamics the band likes to offer some extremes in either direction, which is a nice facet. At times it feels like they would wander off in the direction of intense music like the one by early Dark Funeral or Triumphator, then it is a like Mayhem at others. To have melodic or rather distinctive short moments in which the guitars are able to shine appears to be of some importance to the musicians. It attempts to adhere to the old-school crowd as well to those who fancy slightly modern stuff. While we are at it, this band does not mess around with samples or sounds of Egypt or Egyptian mythology. Aside from a calm intro and outro the music is black metal in a variety of facets [3]. The word shuyet indicated a rather dualistic nature: it offers and demands. This schism is apparent in the music, which at this point, as it is the band's first release, does not appear to be utterly convincing. Those three tracks linger between good and solid, but are not engaging or would spark a lasting impression. Maybe someone should also take the mic away from ??? now and then. <u>Note:</u> <li>1: https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/soul/</li> <li>2: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Shuyet/3540465757</li> <li>3: These calm moments make up nearly three minutes; 1 and 2 respectively. This is a lot considering the release is not even twenty minutes long. </li> This review was written on a promo package provided by Seance Records. The quality of the MP3s was only around 265 kbps. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Shuyet]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Date::2021-09-09]] </div> 126eb1843650cc8f0d67bdf0eda3a03cee1b2a27 216 215 2021-09-09T18:48:33Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Title: Similar to the cover artwork: somewhat unfocussed.<br> Rating:65/100<br> <i>The Shuyet (shadow) is described in funerary texts as a powerful entity which both requires protection and offers protection</i> [1]. According to the Facebook page of the band, the members originated in Egypt, but have since moved to Germany. This explains the imagery that appears on the front cover. No, there is no bowl of sauerkraut, white sausages and lederhosen. The entry of the Metal Archives [2] is rather curious, because according to the band line-up as well as the one presented for this release, there is no vocalist. Three persons and each in their own kind of way torment an instrument. Well, someone has to do it, since there are lyrics expressed in each of the three compositions. The all too common mystery that tends to enshroud black metal bands in one way or another. ??? is a talker. What is a talker? Well, it is a vocalist whose part in the music takes over a rather large spot and is a somewhat focal point. First the vocals, then the rest. With some kind of sinister croaking, speaking, screaming ??? sets the mood somehow and the instruments do their best to support him. A rather solid performance, but as the vocals set the pace and take a lot of room, breaks and surprising elements are not something that can be discovered. The black metal itself is not bad. In terms of dynamics the band likes to offer some extremes in either direction, which is a nice facet. At times it feels like they would wander off in the direction of intense music like the one by early Dark Funeral or Triumphator, then it is a like Mayhem at others. To have melodic or rather distinctive short moments in which the guitars are able to shine appears to be of some importance to the musicians. It attempts to adhere to the old-school crowd as well to those who fancy slightly modern stuff. While we are at it, this band does not mess around with samples or sounds of Egypt or Egyptian mythology. Aside from a calm intro and outro the music is black metal in a variety of facets [3]. The word shuyet indicated a rather dualistic nature: it offers and demands. This schism is apparent in the music, which at this point, as it is the band's first release, does not appear to be utterly convincing. Those three tracks linger between good and solid, but are not engaging or would spark a lasting impression. Maybe someone should also take the mic away from ??? now and then. <u>Note:</u> <li>1: https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/soul/</li> <li>2: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Shuyet/3540465757</li> <li>3: These calm moments make up nearly three minutes; 1 and 2 respectively. This is a lot considering the release is not even twenty minutes long. </li> This review was written on a promo package provided by Seance Records. The quality of the MP3s was only around 265 kbps. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Shuyet]][[Category:Black Metal]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Germany]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Black Metal]][[Date::2021-09-09]] </div> a7f5b6ae1279464fb77df557a091a1cee94cfd1c 0 99 217 2021-09-13T19:42:10Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Title: Indonesian mythological death metal<br> 70<br> Sabdapalon or Sabda Palon <i>was a priest and adviser to Brawijaya V, the last ruler of the Hi..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Title: Indonesian mythological death metal<br> 70<br> Sabdapalon or Sabda Palon <i>was a priest and adviser to Brawijaya V, the last ruler of the Hindu-Buddha empire Majapahit in Java.</i>[1] Well, this is a nice new topic and it deviates from all the stuff that is around these days. Interestingly, this output appears to have been in the pipeline for quite some time or at least (part of) the music has. With a 2016 single that contains one of the tracks -- Sabda XIII - Gemuruh Air Puluhan Ribu Dosa -- it can be speculated about how the music has matured or being kept in the back over all these years. Maybe this is also the reason the approach is not entirely consistent in style and sound. While the overall direction is unmistakably some kind of death metal, the style switches a bit over the course of the release. Especially in the middle of the album there are nods towards punk or thrash. Overall though the Indonesians appear to be more comfortable in the realm of old-school death metal and with tracks whose length tends to be shorter than four minutes most of the time, they also like to keep it tight and with a considerable amount of pace. Earlier references that put them stylistically close to Animals Killing People is not true any more. Rather a mixture of Asphyx, Repugnant and Undergang could be used in order to point into the general direction this band had developed. Their sound contains a lot of facets and cannot be nailed down to one single approach only. Solo guitar elements are a must and they are of solid quality, but not too spectacular and sadly way too short. Vocals are a form of growling and not too guttural, while on some rare occasions a less deep voice is used as well. When it comes to the discussion of the pros and cons of this album it is only necessary to bring up two tracks as examples: <b>Hutan Hujan Darah</b> and the successive <b>Siasat Sang Maha Patih Paripurna</b>. While the former one comes with some nice (lead-) guitar parts, sound and arrangement, the latter one opens with an odd as well as unnecessarily long intro, differs slightly in sound and comes with an odd and somewhat punkish riff. To keep it short: Devoured presents music that tends to deviate from the path and which has a slightly off sound or style at times. Interestingly enough, the track which follows after this slight odd one is much better again. The music is intense and has the vibe/atmosphere that can be associated with old-school death metal. It is not as sinister as the one of Undergang for instance, but such an approach would not go hand in hand with the music of this band from Indonesia. A good release, but some parts do their best to not leave a lasting impression. To add some final aspect to this review: there are no samples of ritualistic Buddhistic chanting. And as this reviewer is too lazy to translate the lyrics via an online tool, it was not possible to establish whether the band actually deals with the topic indicated in the title of this release. <u>Note:</u><br> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabdapalon {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Devoured]][[Category:Indonesia]][[Category:Death Metal]][[Category:Old-school Death Metal]][[Category:2021]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Death Metal]][[Date::2021-09-13]] </div> bfa34e10143a3737b7b3ce863f12b5fa748961fe 0 100 219 2021-09-15T19:06:30Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Should someone be familiar with another language in order to appreciate music expressed in it to its fullest? Or to even to recognize it as something..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Should someone be familiar with another language in order to appreciate music expressed in it to its fullest? Or to even to recognize it as something valid for one's taste or should something be cast aside right from the start? It is by no means clear-cut, because a good or certain portion of the release remains hidden through this lack in understanding. Yet, to put it more more broadly, how much music would someone be able to appreciate with a deeper sense of grasping the intention of a band? How many languages, dialects and countries exist on this dust ball in space? Exactly. Edyta Górecka sing in Polish, a language the writer of these lines is definitely not familiar with. Nevertheless, this person is fascinated by this release, even though a good portion of the language, of the lyrics and song titles escape an immediate understanding. Online translators can ameliorate this aspect to some degree, but these fail to express all the richness and flavour that exists in a language. À la bonne heure ... Google might provide you with an answer, but there are more to these four words. Edyta Górecka's music follows the mainstream approach of indie rock/pop with some additional facets and sounds. Aside from some vague disturbances, the songs on this debut release are a soothing and warm mixture that calms the soul and caresses a troubled mind. Naturally, the focal point of it all is the voice of Edyta. She carries it along, she helps to set the sound and the atmosphere. Most of the time she is there. Hovering above it all. With a definite energy, with a distinct certainty, with an unmistakeable clarity she weaves all together. While the music is still of some importance, her share is the one that actually matters. It is indie rock / pop music after all. All is rather common place and as expected? Well ... the way this release opens is interesting and may come as a surprise. Not only due to the slightly melancholic current that makes up a considerable portion of the track. It feels rather dreamy and it appears to set the mood for something that the band might not be entirely certain about in terms of sound and style. Is this the reason the sound evolves into noise at some point towards the end? That it is necessary to cleanse all that has been and start again in a fresh kind of way? A second opening? A second start? Is one not enough? Cień, the second track feels this way. The first seconds are silence and then the gentle plucking of guitar strings set the mood and unravel another type of melodies. All becomes more charming and positive again. And not only on this track, but the rest of the album continues in this kind of way. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Always somewhat playful and slightly unpredictable. Now with some slight drum pattern, then with the help of a xylophone and at another point the sound of something akin to a Hammond organ is thrown in. Indie-rock, but occasionally dreamy, but definitely charming in its execution and style. Six tracks and roughly twenty-three minutes are what can be found on this release. The production is spot-on, well balanced and gives all of the instruments a lot of room. Guitars and bass can be recognized, the drums might be a tiny bit too much in the foreground and all those playful sounds are able to add their nice facets to this release. All flows along gently, wraps the listener in a warm glowing mist. It does not feel as if it something would be shoved in your face, but rather as if someone would take your arm and tag you along. From the outside, though, what is this music all about? The listener might get a vague impression at some point or the other, but most of it remains enshrouded in the mist of a foreign tongue. Some foggy words appear now and then: harmony, democracy, abstraction. Nevertheless, a lot remains distant, incomprehensible and somewhat intriguing. Maybe the music is all about cooking recipes, abstract quantum physics or even the mating rituals of bricks. Hell knows. Does it matter? If it is of importance to you, then ask the band what they want to express, request the lyrics and give a beating with an online translator. If you are not this type of person, then let yourself be taken away by these charming tunes ... charming tunes expressed in the Polish tongue. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Edyta Górecka]][[Category:Poland]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Indie Rock]][[Category:2017]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Indie Rock]][[Date::2021-09-15]] </div> 4cd85a244d7decd8558cc2f422c61f5c01d50bfb 220 219 2021-09-15T19:07:19Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Should someone be familiar with another language in order to appreciate music expressed in it to its fullest? Or to even to recognize it as something valid for one's taste or should something be cast aside right from the start? It is by no means clear-cut, because a good or certain portion of the release remains hidden through this lack in understanding. Yet, to put it more more broadly, how much music would someone be able to appreciate with a deeper sense of grasping the intention of a band? How many languages, dialects and countries exist on this dust ball in space? Exactly. Edyta Górecka sing in Polish, a language the writer of these lines is definitely not familiar with. Nevertheless, this person is fascinated by this release, even though a good portion of the language, of the lyrics and song titles escape an immediate understanding. Online translators can ameliorate this aspect to some degree, but these fail to express all the richness and flavour that exists in a language. À la bonne heure ... Google might provide you with an answer, but there are more to these four words. Edyta Górecka's music follows the mainstream approach of indie rock/pop with some additional facets and sounds. Aside from some vague disturbances, the songs on this debut release are a soothing and warm mixture that calms the soul and caresses a troubled mind. Naturally, the focal point of it all is the voice of Edyta. She carries it along, she helps to set the sound and the atmosphere. Most of the time she is there. Hovering above it all. With a definite energy, with a distinct certainty, with an unmistakeable clarity she weaves all together. While the music is still of some importance, her share is the one that actually matters. It is indie rock / pop music after all. All is rather common place and as expected? Well ... the way this release opens is interesting and may come as a surprise. Not only due to the slightly melancholic current that makes up a considerable portion of the track. It feels rather dreamy and it appears to set the mood for something that the band might not be entirely certain about in terms of sound and style. Is this the reason the sound evolves into noise at some point towards the end? That it is necessary to cleanse all that has been and start again in a fresh kind of way? A second opening? A second start? Is one not enough? Cień, the second track feels this way. The first seconds are silence and then the gentle plucking of guitar strings set the mood and unravel another type of melodies. All becomes more charming and positive again. And not only on this track, but the rest of the album continues in this kind of way. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Always somewhat playful and slightly unpredictable. Now with some slight drum pattern, then with the help of a xylophone and at another point the sound of something akin to a Hammond organ is thrown in. Indie-rock, but occasionally dreamy, but definitely charming in its execution and style. Six tracks and roughly twenty-three minutes are what can be found on this release. The production is spot-on, well balanced and gives all of the instruments a lot of room. Guitars and bass can be recognized, the drums might be a tiny bit too much in the foreground and all those playful sounds are able to add their nice facets to this release. All flows along gently, wraps the listener in a warm glowing mist. It does not feel as if it something would be shoved in your face, but rather as if someone would take your arm and tag you along. From the outside, though, what is this music all about? The listener might get a vague impression at some point or the other, but most of it remains enshrouded in the mist of a foreign tongue. Some foggy words appear now and then: harmony, democracy, abstraction. Nevertheless, a lot remains distant, incomprehensible and somewhat intriguing. Maybe the music is all about cooking recipes, abstract quantum physics or even the mating rituals of bricks. Hell knows. Does it matter? If it is of importance to you, then ask the band what they want to express, request the lyrics and give a beating with an online translator. If you are not this type of person, then let yourself be taken away by these charming tunes ... charming tunes expressed in the Polish tongue. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Edyta Górecka]][[Category:Poland]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Indie Rock]][[Category:2017]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2017]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Indie Rock]][[Date::2021-09-15]] </div> d0c8f86c0e0f1d4b7fe0fe251cb5bc854d3255f3 0 101 221 2022-03-08T19:34:21Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Gone. Lost. First a smudge. Now a speck. Soon entirely faded. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]]..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone. Lost. First a smudge. Now a speck. Soon entirely faded. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]] </div> e81f91da851d89110fdcbc0ecafa2d7fa343fc81 222 221 2022-03-08T19:34:42Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone.<br> Lost.<br> First a smudge.<br> Now a speck. <br> Soon entirely faded.<br> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]] </div> 2a94c6befb3164bbf3a5071c638ff3b637f111fd 223 222 2022-03-08T19:35:25Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone.<br> Lost.<br> First a smudge.<br> Now a speck. <br> Soon entirely faded.<br> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]] </div> f9cb8f639dcab67b65488c8c2b79687b03874188 224 223 2022-03-08T19:35:55Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone.<br> Lost.<br> First a smudge.<br> Now a speck. <br> Soon entirely faded.<br> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]] [[Review:2022]] [[Released:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]] </div> ba1ace7598dcc662e2f3c26c622b29018b930d0e 225 224 2022-03-08T19:37:19Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone.<br> Lost.<br> First a smudge.<br> Now a speck. <br> Soon entirely faded.<br> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2010]] </div> de1545d4e85180894a7b61809d8bdf526438fcf8 243 225 2022-03-08T19:49:51Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone.<br> Lost.<br> First a smudge.<br> Now a speck. <br> Soon entirely faded.<br> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2010]] </div> e081709e4292b68043c595fd98ed052e1fa7ca68 251 243 2022-03-08T19:52:50Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Gone.<br> Lost.<br> First a smudge.<br> Now a speck. <br> Soon entirely faded.<br> {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2010]][[Series::2]] </div> 8941e441fda657f70910c9167f14ba7e2489231a 0 102 226 2022-03-08T19:38:34Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} It is nauseating. Admit it. How can the opener of this album not be experienced in this kind of way? Nauseating. Twirling, swirling, whirling. Spin...." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It is nauseating. Admit it. How can the opener of this album not be experienced in this kind of way? Nauseating. Twirling, swirling, whirling. Spin. Spin. Spin. Flowers. Flowers. Flowers. Neither the band name, nor the album title, nor the track title and especially not the cover artwork are a preparation for this. Somehow this forceful intrusion upon the innocent and presumably unsuspecting listener is something uncalled for, yet still somewhat charming. Nauseatingly nice. Nauseatingly good. It is quite a way to kick it off on the "debut" release, but maybe it is as well to do so. Why keep it slow and steady and rather subdued, if you can attempt to "overwhelm" the fan so to speak. As it is commonly said, the first impression is the one that counts and that tends to last. Well, why not start it off like this? Sadly, it is not a merry dance that is celebrated on this first track, even though it feels like it. A "Swimming Story" is the topic at hand and judging from the sound and style, no sharks had to be fought off. Instead the listener is able to witness/experience an ever increasing as well as an evermore carefree atmosphere with each passing second/minute. At first the sound is a bit uncertain and a little minimalist: vague textures, a constant or rather repetitive play of the guitar. A voice enters, then another layer on top of it and so on and so forth. Once acclimated to the environment, drums and a bass guitar enter and the steady flow of the track really kicks off. Especially the play of the bass guitar might encourage people to take a spin and twirl or swirl or whirl around. This would be a core aspect of this band that is actually revealed in this opener and it touches on a dominant idea behind the song-writing of Sea Oleena. The music is more about atmosphere and less about strict adherence to what is an "established" form of structuring a song. Somehow it is indicated in the title as well: a "Swimming Story". By interpreting too much into it, one can point towards this as an overarching idea in the style of the band. Each to his or her own style. Each to his or her own way. Staying afloat and not getting subdued; it is not a "drowning story" after all -- yes, a very bad joke. Anyway, most of the other tracks follow in a similar fashion with the exception of "And", grammatical conjunction deemed on this album a part of a musical conjunction, as well as "Lull", which lulls the listener into sleep. Leaving these two aside then, most of the other tracks have a similar direction and sound. Sometimes a bit more playful, sometimes a bit more melodic, sometimes a bit more unpredictable. Those tracks are steady, have a soothing atmosphere, flow gently along and leave the person with a impression of piece and calmness. Guitars, a bass, drums/beats, sounds and the voice of Charlotte Oleena. Generally speaking, it is easy-going stuff that does demand little attention due to the way it sound and progresses. Similar to a chocolate bar it may satisfy a certain need, but it is unable to thoroughly satisfy your hunger or appetite. Sadly, the track "Little Army" is not able to make a difference. With over seven minutes in length, it is not only the longest track on this recording, but it would also be the one that attempts to stand out a bit. In style and sound it contains the ingredients that have been discussed above, while in presentation it is somewhat strange but nevertheless fascinating. With an intriguing text as well as some odd rhythmical noise effects, it is oddly captivating and it stands out because of it. The juxtaposition of a comparably uplifting motif in the guitar and those stark noises as a counterpoint differ from the harmonic and clear cut way of the rest of the album. Maybe the sound effects are a representation of the "little army" that the songs talks about, a reflection of the nuisance that Charlotte has to deal with; if you look at the lyrics one realizes that matters are a bit more complicated. Basically the cover artwork says it all: a bit blurry, not too focussed on a single element, a mixture of facets and generally loaded with a friendly atmosphere. Nothing to worry here, just a calm set of songs. While this would actually cover everything, the first three releases -- Smudges, Sea Oleena and Sleeplessness -- have something in common: their cover artworks show references of each other. Somehow ideas of Smudges -- the first output -- can be found on Sea Oleena, while the Sleeplessness one has hints of the aforementioned one. Shallow would mark a break though ... but maybe it is best not to continue on all paths. Pop, maybe bits of post-rock, presumably alternative, definitely not conventional. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2010]] </div> c8e7a878e8c6267538e635afee5264f14b9ee6db 239 226 2022-03-08T19:48:57Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It is nauseating. Admit it. How can the opener of this album not be experienced in this kind of way? Nauseating. Twirling, swirling, whirling. Spin. Spin. Spin. Flowers. Flowers. Flowers. Neither the band name, nor the album title, nor the track title and especially not the cover artwork are a preparation for this. Somehow this forceful intrusion upon the innocent and presumably unsuspecting listener is something uncalled for, yet still somewhat charming. Nauseatingly nice. Nauseatingly good. It is quite a way to kick it off on the "debut" release, but maybe it is as well to do so. Why keep it slow and steady and rather subdued, if you can attempt to "overwhelm" the fan so to speak. As it is commonly said, the first impression is the one that counts and that tends to last. Well, why not start it off like this? Sadly, it is not a merry dance that is celebrated on this first track, even though it feels like it. A "Swimming Story" is the topic at hand and judging from the sound and style, no sharks had to be fought off. Instead the listener is able to witness/experience an ever increasing as well as an evermore carefree atmosphere with each passing second/minute. At first the sound is a bit uncertain and a little minimalist: vague textures, a constant or rather repetitive play of the guitar. A voice enters, then another layer on top of it and so on and so forth. Once acclimated to the environment, drums and a bass guitar enter and the steady flow of the track really kicks off. Especially the play of the bass guitar might encourage people to take a spin and twirl or swirl or whirl around. This would be a core aspect of this band that is actually revealed in this opener and it touches on a dominant idea behind the song-writing of Sea Oleena. The music is more about atmosphere and less about strict adherence to what is an "established" form of structuring a song. Somehow it is indicated in the title as well: a "Swimming Story". By interpreting too much into it, one can point towards this as an overarching idea in the style of the band. Each to his or her own style. Each to his or her own way. Staying afloat and not getting subdued; it is not a "drowning story" after all -- yes, a very bad joke. Anyway, most of the other tracks follow in a similar fashion with the exception of "And", grammatical conjunction deemed on this album a part of a musical conjunction, as well as "Lull", which lulls the listener into sleep. Leaving these two aside then, most of the other tracks have a similar direction and sound. Sometimes a bit more playful, sometimes a bit more melodic, sometimes a bit more unpredictable. Those tracks are steady, have a soothing atmosphere, flow gently along and leave the person with a impression of piece and calmness. Guitars, a bass, drums/beats, sounds and the voice of Charlotte Oleena. Generally speaking, it is easy-going stuff that does demand little attention due to the way it sound and progresses. Similar to a chocolate bar it may satisfy a certain need, but it is unable to thoroughly satisfy your hunger or appetite. Sadly, the track "Little Army" is not able to make a difference. With over seven minutes in length, it is not only the longest track on this recording, but it would also be the one that attempts to stand out a bit. In style and sound it contains the ingredients that have been discussed above, while in presentation it is somewhat strange but nevertheless fascinating. With an intriguing text as well as some odd rhythmical noise effects, it is oddly captivating and it stands out because of it. The juxtaposition of a comparably uplifting motif in the guitar and those stark noises as a counterpoint differ from the harmonic and clear cut way of the rest of the album. Maybe the sound effects are a representation of the "little army" that the songs talks about, a reflection of the nuisance that Charlotte has to deal with; if you look at the lyrics one realizes that matters are a bit more complicated. Basically the cover artwork says it all: a bit blurry, not too focussed on a single element, a mixture of facets and generally loaded with a friendly atmosphere. Nothing to worry here, just a calm set of songs. While this would actually cover everything, the first three releases -- Smudges, Sea Oleena and Sleeplessness -- have something in common: their cover artworks show references of each other. Somehow ideas of Smudges -- the first output -- can be found on Sea Oleena, while the Sleeplessness one has hints of the aforementioned one. Shallow would mark a break though ... but maybe it is best not to continue on all paths. Pop, maybe bits of post-rock, presumably alternative, definitely not conventional. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2010]] </div> b5ba2f41c7e3197c73f8face27c1ceed8baf0bb4 246 239 2022-03-08T19:52:20Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} It is nauseating. Admit it. How can the opener of this album not be experienced in this kind of way? Nauseating. Twirling, swirling, whirling. Spin. Spin. Spin. Flowers. Flowers. Flowers. Neither the band name, nor the album title, nor the track title and especially not the cover artwork are a preparation for this. Somehow this forceful intrusion upon the innocent and presumably unsuspecting listener is something uncalled for, yet still somewhat charming. Nauseatingly nice. Nauseatingly good. It is quite a way to kick it off on the "debut" release, but maybe it is as well to do so. Why keep it slow and steady and rather subdued, if you can attempt to "overwhelm" the fan so to speak. As it is commonly said, the first impression is the one that counts and that tends to last. Well, why not start it off like this? Sadly, it is not a merry dance that is celebrated on this first track, even though it feels like it. A "Swimming Story" is the topic at hand and judging from the sound and style, no sharks had to be fought off. Instead the listener is able to witness/experience an ever increasing as well as an evermore carefree atmosphere with each passing second/minute. At first the sound is a bit uncertain and a little minimalist: vague textures, a constant or rather repetitive play of the guitar. A voice enters, then another layer on top of it and so on and so forth. Once acclimated to the environment, drums and a bass guitar enter and the steady flow of the track really kicks off. Especially the play of the bass guitar might encourage people to take a spin and twirl or swirl or whirl around. This would be a core aspect of this band that is actually revealed in this opener and it touches on a dominant idea behind the song-writing of Sea Oleena. The music is more about atmosphere and less about strict adherence to what is an "established" form of structuring a song. Somehow it is indicated in the title as well: a "Swimming Story". By interpreting too much into it, one can point towards this as an overarching idea in the style of the band. Each to his or her own style. Each to his or her own way. Staying afloat and not getting subdued; it is not a "drowning story" after all -- yes, a very bad joke. Anyway, most of the other tracks follow in a similar fashion with the exception of "And", grammatical conjunction deemed on this album a part of a musical conjunction, as well as "Lull", which lulls the listener into sleep. Leaving these two aside then, most of the other tracks have a similar direction and sound. Sometimes a bit more playful, sometimes a bit more melodic, sometimes a bit more unpredictable. Those tracks are steady, have a soothing atmosphere, flow gently along and leave the person with a impression of piece and calmness. Guitars, a bass, drums/beats, sounds and the voice of Charlotte Oleena. Generally speaking, it is easy-going stuff that does demand little attention due to the way it sound and progresses. Similar to a chocolate bar it may satisfy a certain need, but it is unable to thoroughly satisfy your hunger or appetite. Sadly, the track "Little Army" is not able to make a difference. With over seven minutes in length, it is not only the longest track on this recording, but it would also be the one that attempts to stand out a bit. In style and sound it contains the ingredients that have been discussed above, while in presentation it is somewhat strange but nevertheless fascinating. With an intriguing text as well as some odd rhythmical noise effects, it is oddly captivating and it stands out because of it. The juxtaposition of a comparably uplifting motif in the guitar and those stark noises as a counterpoint differ from the harmonic and clear cut way of the rest of the album. Maybe the sound effects are a representation of the "little army" that the songs talks about, a reflection of the nuisance that Charlotte has to deal with; if you look at the lyrics one realizes that matters are a bit more complicated. Basically the cover artwork says it all: a bit blurry, not too focussed on a single element, a mixture of facets and generally loaded with a friendly atmosphere. Nothing to worry here, just a calm set of songs. While this would actually cover everything, the first three releases -- Smudges, Sea Oleena and Sleeplessness -- have something in common: their cover artworks show references of each other. Somehow ideas of Smudges -- the first output -- can be found on Sea Oleena, while the Sleeplessness one has hints of the aforementioned one. Shallow would mark a break though ... but maybe it is best not to continue on all paths. Pop, maybe bits of post-rock, presumably alternative, definitely not conventional. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2010]][[Series::2]] </div> 35874fbc2aff8f098afa9641da1727d2d031fe58 0 103 227 2022-03-08T19:39:32Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Track titles as well as the cover artwork of a release can be a good starting point when it comes to write about it. Of course these can be misleadin..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Track titles as well as the cover artwork of a release can be a good starting point when it comes to write about it. Of course these can be misleading, offer a fat juicy red herring to the unsuspecting and maybe even lazy writer -- and who would hold it against them, because with all these releases around, so little precious time available, not to mention the ever mounting pressure of "being productive" -- are thankful for every bit of tiny straw, because it looks like a life line to hold on to. Sleeplessness is a rather intricate word, because its meaning suggests itself to be accessible readily. A glance over to Wikipedia[1] though, reveals the complex indications that can come with this. And these are reflected in the release. With -- again -- seven tracks in total it can be divided into two parts, which are separated by an untitled track in the middle. First one style, then some kind of interlude and then the other part. A dualism, a representation of the division of the brain, of the depths of sleep -- REM-sleep or non-REM sleep -- or maybe something else. The longing for sleep or the moment of day-dreaming or of a wandering mind in terms of the first part. While the other one appears to be more distant and vague; maybe wanderings in the dream world. A lot of guesswork. In some respect Sea Oleena continues in a way that is similar to the preceding eponymous release. There are facets from the pop genre, hints of rock and electronic/idm elements. While on this release the music differs according to what had been laid out before. First upbeat and still energetic, with nice melodies, a clear voice and a lot of nice layers and facets, which are really sweet and charming. One might even go so far as to speculate, whether in "Sleepless Fever" the thudding of the drum represents the beating of the heart after a bit too much and too late red wine in the evening; judging from hearsay this can happen; hearsay and nothing more; definitely hearsay. With the uttering of the words "Insomnia Plague" and these would be the last one of the track as well, a break appears. The music shifts. First the sound of wood instruments, similar to what is commonly associated with the leaving of one "world" and with entering another one; the spirit world for instance. Accompanying it is the sound of water, but not a gurgling sound but rather flowing along gently and calmly, but not close by, rather like the vague murmuring. This transition feels nice, even if it is a bit sudden. Of course there has to be music, of course there has to be a voice, of course there has to be a melody, of course all of this has to appear, but the difference is rather stark compared with the first three tracks. It follows musically in this kind of way. The succeeding "Sister" feels distant and has a rather odd atmosphere due to the sound of some of the vocals. "Milk" is bit more intense, especially due to the rhythmic elements that oddly enough sound as if these would mimic the ones discussed above in "Sleepless Fever". Orion's Eyes touches on a rather complex issue. At some point he had lost his sight, but gained it back later; to put it very simple. Is this in some respect a metaphor for what sleep is all about? One looses the sight, lingers around in darkness, wanders around in a dream world, only to wake up and to gain the sight again later on; this would generally happen in the morning. Is this not the way it tends to go? What about the music, though? Following what had been written above, it is of no surprise to experience a rather dreamlike music. To flow in a realm filled with ethereal sounds and to live through an overall calm atmosphere. It feels like a form of ambient with guitars and layers of vocals. Judging from the sound, the process of waking up is rather gentle or in the process of happening due to the way the music fades out into the distance. Sleeplessness feels like an assemblage of ideas, a juxtaposition of oddities thrown together even though they clearly do not want to be next to each other. Wrapped in a layer of supposed conceptuality they try to appear as something coherent, but it all never feels like it. Partly flowing, partly stumbling and the listener trudging along with it. Music as this is perfect for vinyl, because one can listen to the preferred side, while neglecting the other one. Where to put the fourth track though? Maybe on either side? Well, each part has its fascination and is quite charming, but it is difficult to experience it together. "Sleeplessness" is a bit of a mixed bag. But maybe the word sleeplessness can be understood in an entirely different fashion. By turning the meaning around, one scratches on the surface of an imperative that a lot of people like to adhere to: be productive. Somehow it is an aberration of the Latin proverb "ego cogito, ergo sum"[2], "laboro, ergo sum" -- I work, therefore I am. Maybe work is too narrow, but in our times it is something still accepted as a valid excuse from attending events or from keeping appointments. Less accepted is the drifting of the mind, like laziness[3] or idleness[4]. One might imagine though that this is the main topic of this release. The unwillingness to give into to sleep and to reach another better level of mental as well as physical freshness again. The lyrics indicate such a thing: a drifting of the mind. One might even argue how the flow and progression of the music does not indicate that a form of sleep is actually or maybe even wants to be reached , but rather that the listener is witnessing a kind of intense form of daydreaming or even hallucination. Not all is lost though. "Sleeplessness" marks a transition between the debut release and the music on the succeeding release "Shallow". This continuity can be discovered or is being commented on the first track of said output. But more on that in the other review. Notes and references: [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum [3]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laziness [4]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Idleness {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2011]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2011]] </div> 9095d0846456c7264d444df246ffa1c18f750452 228 227 2022-03-08T19:40:02Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Track titles as well as the cover artwork of a release can be a good starting point when it comes to write about it. Of course these can be misleading, offer a fat juicy red herring to the unsuspecting and maybe even lazy writer -- and who would hold it against them, because with all these releases around, so little precious time available, not to mention the ever mounting pressure of "being productive" -- are thankful for every bit of tiny straw, because it looks like a life line to hold on to. Sleeplessness is a rather intricate word, because its meaning suggests itself to be accessible readily. A glance over to Wikipedia[1] though, reveals the complex indications that can come with this. And these are reflected in the release. With -- again -- seven tracks in total it can be divided into two parts, which are separated by an untitled track in the middle. First one style, then some kind of interlude and then the other part. A dualism, a representation of the division of the brain, of the depths of sleep -- REM-sleep or non-REM sleep -- or maybe something else. The longing for sleep or the moment of day-dreaming or of a wandering mind in terms of the first part. While the other one appears to be more distant and vague; maybe wanderings in the dream world. A lot of guesswork. In some respect Sea Oleena continues in a way that is similar to the preceding eponymous release. There are facets from the pop genre, hints of rock and electronic/idm elements. While on this release the music differs according to what had been laid out before. First upbeat and still energetic, with nice melodies, a clear voice and a lot of nice layers and facets, which are really sweet and charming. One might even go so far as to speculate, whether in "Sleepless Fever" the thudding of the drum represents the beating of the heart after a bit too much and too late red wine in the evening; judging from hearsay this can happen; hearsay and nothing more; definitely hearsay. With the uttering of the words "Insomnia Plague" and these would be the last one of the track as well, a break appears. The music shifts. First the sound of wood instruments, similar to what is commonly associated with the leaving of one "world" and with entering another one; the spirit world for instance. Accompanying it is the sound of water, but not a gurgling sound but rather flowing along gently and calmly, but not close by, rather like the vague murmuring. This transition feels nice, even if it is a bit sudden. Of course there has to be music, of course there has to be a voice, of course there has to be a melody, of course all of this has to appear, but the difference is rather stark compared with the first three tracks. It follows musically in this kind of way. The succeeding "Sister" feels distant and has a rather odd atmosphere due to the sound of some of the vocals. "Milk" is bit more intense, especially due to the rhythmic elements that oddly enough sound as if these would mimic the ones discussed above in "Sleepless Fever". Orion's Eyes touches on a rather complex issue. At some point he had lost his sight, but gained it back later; to put it very simple. Is this in some respect a metaphor for what sleep is all about? One looses the sight, lingers around in darkness, wanders around in a dream world, only to wake up and to gain the sight again later on; this would generally happen in the morning. Is this not the way it tends to go? What about the music, though? Following what had been written above, it is of no surprise to experience a rather dreamlike music. To flow in a realm filled with ethereal sounds and to live through an overall calm atmosphere. It feels like a form of ambient with guitars and layers of vocals. Judging from the sound, the process of waking up is rather gentle or in the process of happening due to the way the music fades out into the distance. Sleeplessness feels like an assemblage of ideas, a juxtaposition of oddities thrown together even though they clearly do not want to be next to each other. Wrapped in a layer of supposed conceptuality they try to appear as something coherent, but it all never feels like it. Partly flowing, partly stumbling and the listener trudging along with it. Music as this is perfect for vinyl, because one can listen to the preferred side, while neglecting the other one. Where to put the fourth track though? Maybe on either side? Well, each part has its fascination and is quite charming, but it is difficult to experience it together. "Sleeplessness" is a bit of a mixed bag. But maybe the word sleeplessness can be understood in an entirely different fashion. By turning the meaning around, one scratches on the surface of an imperative that a lot of people like to adhere to: be productive. Somehow it is an aberration of the Latin proverb "ego cogito, ergo sum"[2], "laboro, ergo sum" -- I work, therefore I am. Maybe work is too narrow, but in our times it is something still accepted as a valid excuse from attending events or from keeping appointments. Less accepted is the drifting of the mind, like laziness[3] or idleness[4]. One might imagine though that this is the main topic of this release. The unwillingness to give into to sleep and to reach another better level of mental as well as physical freshness again. The lyrics indicate such a thing: a drifting of the mind. One might even argue how the flow and progression of the music does not indicate that a form of sleep is actually or maybe even wants to be reached , but rather that the listener is witnessing a kind of intense form of daydreaming or even hallucination. Not all is lost though. "Sleeplessness" marks a transition between the debut release and the music on the succeeding release "Shallow". This continuity can be discovered or is being commented on the first track of said output. But more on that in the other review. Notes and references: <li>[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder <li>[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum <li>[3]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laziness <li>[4]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Idleness {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2011]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2011]] </div> 7d2541b662bfaac62516b7b1f810323371a1d683 240 228 2022-03-08T19:49:07Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Track titles as well as the cover artwork of a release can be a good starting point when it comes to write about it. Of course these can be misleading, offer a fat juicy red herring to the unsuspecting and maybe even lazy writer -- and who would hold it against them, because with all these releases around, so little precious time available, not to mention the ever mounting pressure of "being productive" -- are thankful for every bit of tiny straw, because it looks like a life line to hold on to. Sleeplessness is a rather intricate word, because its meaning suggests itself to be accessible readily. A glance over to Wikipedia[1] though, reveals the complex indications that can come with this. And these are reflected in the release. With -- again -- seven tracks in total it can be divided into two parts, which are separated by an untitled track in the middle. First one style, then some kind of interlude and then the other part. A dualism, a representation of the division of the brain, of the depths of sleep -- REM-sleep or non-REM sleep -- or maybe something else. The longing for sleep or the moment of day-dreaming or of a wandering mind in terms of the first part. While the other one appears to be more distant and vague; maybe wanderings in the dream world. A lot of guesswork. In some respect Sea Oleena continues in a way that is similar to the preceding eponymous release. There are facets from the pop genre, hints of rock and electronic/idm elements. While on this release the music differs according to what had been laid out before. First upbeat and still energetic, with nice melodies, a clear voice and a lot of nice layers and facets, which are really sweet and charming. One might even go so far as to speculate, whether in "Sleepless Fever" the thudding of the drum represents the beating of the heart after a bit too much and too late red wine in the evening; judging from hearsay this can happen; hearsay and nothing more; definitely hearsay. With the uttering of the words "Insomnia Plague" and these would be the last one of the track as well, a break appears. The music shifts. First the sound of wood instruments, similar to what is commonly associated with the leaving of one "world" and with entering another one; the spirit world for instance. Accompanying it is the sound of water, but not a gurgling sound but rather flowing along gently and calmly, but not close by, rather like the vague murmuring. This transition feels nice, even if it is a bit sudden. Of course there has to be music, of course there has to be a voice, of course there has to be a melody, of course all of this has to appear, but the difference is rather stark compared with the first three tracks. It follows musically in this kind of way. The succeeding "Sister" feels distant and has a rather odd atmosphere due to the sound of some of the vocals. "Milk" is bit more intense, especially due to the rhythmic elements that oddly enough sound as if these would mimic the ones discussed above in "Sleepless Fever". Orion's Eyes touches on a rather complex issue. At some point he had lost his sight, but gained it back later; to put it very simple. Is this in some respect a metaphor for what sleep is all about? One looses the sight, lingers around in darkness, wanders around in a dream world, only to wake up and to gain the sight again later on; this would generally happen in the morning. Is this not the way it tends to go? What about the music, though? Following what had been written above, it is of no surprise to experience a rather dreamlike music. To flow in a realm filled with ethereal sounds and to live through an overall calm atmosphere. It feels like a form of ambient with guitars and layers of vocals. Judging from the sound, the process of waking up is rather gentle or in the process of happening due to the way the music fades out into the distance. Sleeplessness feels like an assemblage of ideas, a juxtaposition of oddities thrown together even though they clearly do not want to be next to each other. Wrapped in a layer of supposed conceptuality they try to appear as something coherent, but it all never feels like it. Partly flowing, partly stumbling and the listener trudging along with it. Music as this is perfect for vinyl, because one can listen to the preferred side, while neglecting the other one. Where to put the fourth track though? Maybe on either side? Well, each part has its fascination and is quite charming, but it is difficult to experience it together. "Sleeplessness" is a bit of a mixed bag. But maybe the word sleeplessness can be understood in an entirely different fashion. By turning the meaning around, one scratches on the surface of an imperative that a lot of people like to adhere to: be productive. Somehow it is an aberration of the Latin proverb "ego cogito, ergo sum"[2], "laboro, ergo sum" -- I work, therefore I am. Maybe work is too narrow, but in our times it is something still accepted as a valid excuse from attending events or from keeping appointments. Less accepted is the drifting of the mind, like laziness[3] or idleness[4]. One might imagine though that this is the main topic of this release. The unwillingness to give into to sleep and to reach another better level of mental as well as physical freshness again. The lyrics indicate such a thing: a drifting of the mind. One might even argue how the flow and progression of the music does not indicate that a form of sleep is actually or maybe even wants to be reached , but rather that the listener is witnessing a kind of intense form of daydreaming or even hallucination. Not all is lost though. "Sleeplessness" marks a transition between the debut release and the music on the succeeding release "Shallow". This continuity can be discovered or is being commented on the first track of said output. But more on that in the other review. Notes and references: <li>[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder <li>[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum <li>[3]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laziness <li>[4]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Idleness {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2011]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2011]] </div> f6bdba6e2b76d27abe36e99062162b13ca7eb763 247 240 2022-03-08T19:52:26Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Track titles as well as the cover artwork of a release can be a good starting point when it comes to write about it. Of course these can be misleading, offer a fat juicy red herring to the unsuspecting and maybe even lazy writer -- and who would hold it against them, because with all these releases around, so little precious time available, not to mention the ever mounting pressure of "being productive" -- are thankful for every bit of tiny straw, because it looks like a life line to hold on to. Sleeplessness is a rather intricate word, because its meaning suggests itself to be accessible readily. A glance over to Wikipedia[1] though, reveals the complex indications that can come with this. And these are reflected in the release. With -- again -- seven tracks in total it can be divided into two parts, which are separated by an untitled track in the middle. First one style, then some kind of interlude and then the other part. A dualism, a representation of the division of the brain, of the depths of sleep -- REM-sleep or non-REM sleep -- or maybe something else. The longing for sleep or the moment of day-dreaming or of a wandering mind in terms of the first part. While the other one appears to be more distant and vague; maybe wanderings in the dream world. A lot of guesswork. In some respect Sea Oleena continues in a way that is similar to the preceding eponymous release. There are facets from the pop genre, hints of rock and electronic/idm elements. While on this release the music differs according to what had been laid out before. First upbeat and still energetic, with nice melodies, a clear voice and a lot of nice layers and facets, which are really sweet and charming. One might even go so far as to speculate, whether in "Sleepless Fever" the thudding of the drum represents the beating of the heart after a bit too much and too late red wine in the evening; judging from hearsay this can happen; hearsay and nothing more; definitely hearsay. With the uttering of the words "Insomnia Plague" and these would be the last one of the track as well, a break appears. The music shifts. First the sound of wood instruments, similar to what is commonly associated with the leaving of one "world" and with entering another one; the spirit world for instance. Accompanying it is the sound of water, but not a gurgling sound but rather flowing along gently and calmly, but not close by, rather like the vague murmuring. This transition feels nice, even if it is a bit sudden. Of course there has to be music, of course there has to be a voice, of course there has to be a melody, of course all of this has to appear, but the difference is rather stark compared with the first three tracks. It follows musically in this kind of way. The succeeding "Sister" feels distant and has a rather odd atmosphere due to the sound of some of the vocals. "Milk" is bit more intense, especially due to the rhythmic elements that oddly enough sound as if these would mimic the ones discussed above in "Sleepless Fever". Orion's Eyes touches on a rather complex issue. At some point he had lost his sight, but gained it back later; to put it very simple. Is this in some respect a metaphor for what sleep is all about? One looses the sight, lingers around in darkness, wanders around in a dream world, only to wake up and to gain the sight again later on; this would generally happen in the morning. Is this not the way it tends to go? What about the music, though? Following what had been written above, it is of no surprise to experience a rather dreamlike music. To flow in a realm filled with ethereal sounds and to live through an overall calm atmosphere. It feels like a form of ambient with guitars and layers of vocals. Judging from the sound, the process of waking up is rather gentle or in the process of happening due to the way the music fades out into the distance. Sleeplessness feels like an assemblage of ideas, a juxtaposition of oddities thrown together even though they clearly do not want to be next to each other. Wrapped in a layer of supposed conceptuality they try to appear as something coherent, but it all never feels like it. Partly flowing, partly stumbling and the listener trudging along with it. Music as this is perfect for vinyl, because one can listen to the preferred side, while neglecting the other one. Where to put the fourth track though? Maybe on either side? Well, each part has its fascination and is quite charming, but it is difficult to experience it together. "Sleeplessness" is a bit of a mixed bag. But maybe the word sleeplessness can be understood in an entirely different fashion. By turning the meaning around, one scratches on the surface of an imperative that a lot of people like to adhere to: be productive. Somehow it is an aberration of the Latin proverb "ego cogito, ergo sum"[2], "laboro, ergo sum" -- I work, therefore I am. Maybe work is too narrow, but in our times it is something still accepted as a valid excuse from attending events or from keeping appointments. Less accepted is the drifting of the mind, like laziness[3] or idleness[4]. One might imagine though that this is the main topic of this release. The unwillingness to give into to sleep and to reach another better level of mental as well as physical freshness again. The lyrics indicate such a thing: a drifting of the mind. One might even argue how the flow and progression of the music does not indicate that a form of sleep is actually or maybe even wants to be reached , but rather that the listener is witnessing a kind of intense form of daydreaming or even hallucination. Not all is lost though. "Sleeplessness" marks a transition between the debut release and the music on the succeeding release "Shallow". This continuity can be discovered or is being commented on the first track of said output. But more on that in the other review. Notes and references: <li>[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder <li>[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum <li>[3]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laziness <li>[4]: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Idleness {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2011]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2011]][[Series::2]] </div> a30659c5c1297e9d647d045a3e096dba6212fe5f 0 104 229 2022-03-08T19:41:07Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} This track is part of a compilation and it is currently (?) its opener. As can be expected of Sea Oleena, the music is very atmospheric and hypnotic...." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} This track is part of a compilation and it is currently (?) its opener. As can be expected of Sea Oleena, the music is very atmospheric and hypnotic. It appears to be an attempt to evoke in the mind of the listener the imagery of a scenery at the water front, a scenery one might even want to place in the summer. A hazy thick air that is welcoming and off-putting at the same time. Somehow the rhythmic element are blows the push the listener back into the chair again. What is there to lift then? The spirit? Should we merely gaze on the iridescent scenery that unravels itself in front of our eyes, but limited to our audio-visual senses as we are bereft of our ability to actual explore that which surrounds us? The Algarve is a renown place in Portugal. Maybe this is what the track alludes to. It is easy to add some pointless phrases about the beauty of this place, but since the writer does not receive any royalties from any tourist organization praises and the sort were amended. Nevertheless, it is music to dream to and let the sprits float. The vague voice, the haunting atmosphere, those vague sounds and the calm piano paint together quite an interesting calm scenery. Take the lift ... to who knows where. Part of: The 'Dreams' compilation from Stadiums & Shrines and Cascine is a double album of new ambient and experimental compositions by contemporary artists. (Source: https://cascine.bandcamp.com/album/s-s-presents-dreams) {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2014]] </div> 0e2194de82dfe2a6bbaf2fc6f301d1e5b26dc385 241 229 2022-03-08T19:49:18Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} This track is part of a compilation and it is currently (?) its opener. As can be expected of Sea Oleena, the music is very atmospheric and hypnotic. It appears to be an attempt to evoke in the mind of the listener the imagery of a scenery at the water front, a scenery one might even want to place in the summer. A hazy thick air that is welcoming and off-putting at the same time. Somehow the rhythmic element are blows the push the listener back into the chair again. What is there to lift then? The spirit? Should we merely gaze on the iridescent scenery that unravels itself in front of our eyes, but limited to our audio-visual senses as we are bereft of our ability to actual explore that which surrounds us? The Algarve is a renown place in Portugal. Maybe this is what the track alludes to. It is easy to add some pointless phrases about the beauty of this place, but since the writer does not receive any royalties from any tourist organization praises and the sort were amended. Nevertheless, it is music to dream to and let the sprits float. The vague voice, the haunting atmosphere, those vague sounds and the calm piano paint together quite an interesting calm scenery. Take the lift ... to who knows where. Part of: The 'Dreams' compilation from Stadiums & Shrines and Cascine is a double album of new ambient and experimental compositions by contemporary artists. (Source: https://cascine.bandcamp.com/album/s-s-presents-dreams) {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2014]] </div> d7fc65295fb87eeef5e77fad3bcbd14429941aa6 248 241 2022-03-08T19:52:32Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} This track is part of a compilation and it is currently (?) its opener. As can be expected of Sea Oleena, the music is very atmospheric and hypnotic. It appears to be an attempt to evoke in the mind of the listener the imagery of a scenery at the water front, a scenery one might even want to place in the summer. A hazy thick air that is welcoming and off-putting at the same time. Somehow the rhythmic element are blows the push the listener back into the chair again. What is there to lift then? The spirit? Should we merely gaze on the iridescent scenery that unravels itself in front of our eyes, but limited to our audio-visual senses as we are bereft of our ability to actual explore that which surrounds us? The Algarve is a renown place in Portugal. Maybe this is what the track alludes to. It is easy to add some pointless phrases about the beauty of this place, but since the writer does not receive any royalties from any tourist organization praises and the sort were amended. Nevertheless, it is music to dream to and let the sprits float. The vague voice, the haunting atmosphere, those vague sounds and the calm piano paint together quite an interesting calm scenery. Take the lift ... to who knows where. Part of: The 'Dreams' compilation from Stadiums & Shrines and Cascine is a double album of new ambient and experimental compositions by contemporary artists. (Source: https://cascine.bandcamp.com/album/s-s-presents-dreams) {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2014]][[Series::2]] </div> a2dfafc103a610a56bd9d67981f4b6a22a32d2d6 0 105 230 2022-03-08T19:42:11Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Shallow appears to point towards various aspects. Be it the slight self harm on the cover artwork or be it the music that is presented on this album...." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Shallow appears to point towards various aspects. Be it the slight self harm on the cover artwork or be it the music that is presented on this album. In either case it can be used to describe what is actually going on. This one word in the title indicates a state, something that is recognizable and maybe to some extent even measurable. Considering that either of these are prone to be watered in one way or another, due to these being things that are visible and therefore open to the realm of interpretation, it nevertheless opens a space in which a discourse is able to take place. For arguments' sake let us examine the cover artwork in relation to this. Firstly, due to the definite focus on the arm, the finger and the blood, it marks a deviation from the blurred perspective that were present on the two releases prior to this one. Here we have a definite expression, a performance so to speak, whose depiction can be understood unmistakably and immediately. No translation needed. A cut. Blood. Pain. What is confusing though is the execution of this act, is this slight/negligible/minuscule spill of blood and the actual play with it; see the front and the back of the CD release. These small droplets moved around the finger, were possibly examined and granted some freedom. Yet it comes over as a comparably superfluous attempt, because not much is achieved by it. Imagine it being done in public, then the chances of receiving help might be influenced by the looks and gender of the person, who would stage such a performance. All in all though, this shallow deed would generally lead to not much harm and have little effect. The same cannot be said of the music. The term shallow can be interpreted in various degrees here. Some may point to the overall conception of the music, others to the complexity. Both views are right and it is rather the aspect of establishing how this new setup of the music fits into the broader scheme of things. This is the part that is of some importance. A striking aspect is how the release opens. First the continuous play of a chord by the piano, then the voice, then the tremolo of a violin and then the bass. What follows are electronic beats, a steady rhythm and a to and fro between the instruments. One might imagine that Sea Oleena is in the spirit of things and progresses somewhat similar to what had been presented on earlier releases. A bit different maybe, but still recognizable and of a similar atmosphere. This impression could not be more wrong and it is not nice to force the listener to experience a shift into a new direction, this drastic measure in exploring the music further and to cut off old strains so to speak. "If I'm", just by looking at the title of the track for a moment, implies the discussion of a possibility, the existence of a conflict and something that could be, but always with the chance of refraining from it. This is the part of the lyrics: [...] if i'm a body you're a blanket on me if i'm a forest you're the field at my feet if i'm a corner that the dark backs into you're the darkness that this corner clings to if i'm a mountain with the moon above me i, the mountain, choose the moon to envy [...] if i'm gone "Envy" is the word with which everything starts to fade out. While it hollows out into the distance, the music breaks down, the structure breaks down, the instrumentation breaks down and all of these elements do not make a reappearance anywhere on this album in this particular kind of way. Never. From thereon a new kind of musical style emerges. Ethereal might be one way to describe the sound that follows. Strangely enough, even though the words/phrase "if i'm gone", the closing phrase of the opener, has not yet been uttered, because we are still at that very moment in which all splits up into pieces, it somehow feels as if this shattering has already happened or if the listener does actually witness the process of the passing respectively the act of moving along. The condition is not more of a possibility but a fact that one not only has to endure but cannot stop it from happening. The inevitability of the fulfilment of the condition is intrinsic in the musical expression. The succeeding eponymous track is of importance in order to understand this release and how its fit into the musical development of this band. It is this one whose task might be described as having to deal with the issue of properly setting the stage and to ameliorate the impact of the "passing" -- this word should be understood a bit more broadly -- and to build it all up again. "if i'm gone" marks a break, but it is unclear of what kind this is. Whether it is renewal or actual reawakening remains hidden. The music on the succeeding track "Shallow" comes over as if a considerable amount of force would be necessary to (re-)build up enough strength to express even the simplest of words. The play of the piano is vague, the vocals have a hollow sound and contain a lot of reverberation. Those first words are jumbled together, an incoherent mess so to speak. It takes a few seconds to disentangle them. From there onward the new version of Sea Oleena enters the stage and from there onward the new music progresses. Of what kind is this though? Atmosphere over everything. An intimate setting. A soothing song by a siren. The track "Shallow" develops out of a minimalism of voice and piano into something in which there are even some short percussion elements that play along with the overall dominance of the piano and the vocals. Ambient with alternative music influences and vague rhythmic patterns is offered. Somehow the atmosphere has shifted and one might wonder whether this all-encompassing sadness will linger or whether there will be some kind of deviation in a different direction later on. One might argue that at least some kind of overall melancholy never ceases to have an impact on either of the tracks and tends to persist in the background throughout the rest of the album. One fixture, at least one fixture. "To Hold" feels rather pleasant, which is due to the play of the guitar and the lack of the piano. Its motifs are just a bunch of chords repeated over and over, while a bass adds some additional volume and atmosphere. Charlotte Oleena's voice hovers above everything. The excessive way in which she expresses the lyrics, aspirating them even, demands a certain level of attention and focus. Single words or even syllables appear stretched over the length of a few seconds, as she lures the listener into a realm of calmness and serenity. Sit back. Relax. Let all those pesky thoughts leave you for a moment and enjoy these fleeting sounds. Yet always with a speck of sadness. "Shades of Golden" continues this way. Builds up upon it. Develops the concept even more. Not much, but a bit. There is still only the guitar and the piano remains absent. "Everyone With Eyes Closed" is even happier, because of the rather charming and sweet melody. Even the percussion elements are allowed to participate again. With "Vinton, LA" an amalgam of the earlier approaches, sans the first track, makes an appearance. 11:24[1] clocks this longest of all tracks on this release. Stylistically it can be divided into several parts. Some combine a mixture of piano and the vocals, sometimes other instruments are granted a shot and final moment of attention or recognition. Like waves all ebbs and flows along. This is also expressed by a certain motif of six successive notes that is played by the piano, but varied to some extent. Contrary to what had been said before about the piano, in this track moments of playfulness can be found. Guitars and layers of ambience close this last track. A gentle ending after a long and complex set of atmospheres and impressions. "yours is a path i'd like to cross" It ends with this. It hollows out. It ends with an offer or a proposal or a suggestion? This last sentence sums up the mood that appears to cut through this release. People, relationship, emotions, state of mind are some of the aspects that are dealt with throughout the music. Yet always shrouded in a mist of metaphors or analogies. This had been true of the previous albums and is true of this one. Nothing is clear cut in terms of this band. Nothing immediately accessible. An antidote to the ready-made consumer products of our days. If taken literally though, then the shallowness is expressed there to a considerably degree again. This blink of an eye, this vague impact is all that is allowed to be witnessed and experienced. To sum it up: With the first proper release presenting a palimpsest of visuals, flowers and an image of Charlotte Oleena, the second output has only the flowers left, while the third presents the effect of the rearrangement: a pricked finger. To leave things behind may demand a sacrifice, may demand some effort to pull through, while the overall outcome remains uncertain and unclear. The cover is a presentation of a factual definiteness, which has this touch of appellative communication with the listener/viewer: "Look what I have done", "Look what was necessary", "Feel with me, comfort me." This is what can be seen on the cover, this is what can be felt throughout the release. The visual imagery coincides with the underlying conceptual direction and it prepares the listener for the musical expression(s). Those who have followed the band over the years have to bear the fact and witness it -- first hand so to speak and literally as well as metaphorically -- that those day of playful tunes, those odd rhythmic patterns, the outré chimes are gone by and have been moved to the past. Sea Oleena's music has developed and this came at a price. And this price, let us take a dive into a cesspool filled to the brim with cliche now, has to be paid in blood. By listening to the music and by experiencing the tunes, by letting it all flow and fill the room, it does not appear to be something that is expressed in the songs: shallow. Note: The lyrics had been taken from the Bandcamp page and have not been corrected in any way. 1: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Fibonaccin-StepNumber.html {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2014]] </div> 2e5247b05ad78a1343c1de237d4d321440e1a373 238 230 2022-03-08T19:48:24Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Shallow appears to point towards various aspects. Be it the slight self harm on the cover artwork or be it the music that is presented on this album. In either case it can be used to describe what is actually going on. This one word in the title indicates a state, something that is recognizable and maybe to some extent even measurable. Considering that either of these are prone to be watered in one way or another, due to these being things that are visible and therefore open to the realm of interpretation, it nevertheless opens a space in which a discourse is able to take place. For arguments' sake let us examine the cover artwork in relation to this. Firstly, due to the definite focus on the arm, the finger and the blood, it marks a deviation from the blurred perspective that were present on the two releases prior to this one. Here we have a definite expression, a performance so to speak, whose depiction can be understood unmistakably and immediately. No translation needed. A cut. Blood. Pain. What is confusing though is the execution of this act, is this slight/negligible/minuscule spill of blood and the actual play with it; see the front and the back of the CD release. These small droplets moved around the finger, were possibly examined and granted some freedom. Yet it comes over as a comparably superfluous attempt, because not much is achieved by it. Imagine it being done in public, then the chances of receiving help might be influenced by the looks and gender of the person, who would stage such a performance. All in all though, this shallow deed would generally lead to not much harm and have little effect. The same cannot be said of the music. The term shallow can be interpreted in various degrees here. Some may point to the overall conception of the music, others to the complexity. Both views are right and it is rather the aspect of establishing how this new setup of the music fits into the broader scheme of things. This is the part that is of some importance. A striking aspect is how the release opens. First the continuous play of a chord by the piano, then the voice, then the tremolo of a violin and then the bass. What follows are electronic beats, a steady rhythm and a to and fro between the instruments. One might imagine that Sea Oleena is in the spirit of things and progresses somewhat similar to what had been presented on earlier releases. A bit different maybe, but still recognizable and of a similar atmosphere. This impression could not be more wrong and it is not nice to force the listener to experience a shift into a new direction, this drastic measure in exploring the music further and to cut off old strains so to speak. "If I'm", just by looking at the title of the track for a moment, implies the discussion of a possibility, the existence of a conflict and something that could be, but always with the chance of refraining from it. This is the part of the lyrics: [...] if i'm a body you're a blanket on me if i'm a forest you're the field at my feet if i'm a corner that the dark backs into you're the darkness that this corner clings to if i'm a mountain with the moon above me i, the mountain, choose the moon to envy [...] if i'm gone "Envy" is the word with which everything starts to fade out. While it hollows out into the distance, the music breaks down, the structure breaks down, the instrumentation breaks down and all of these elements do not make a reappearance anywhere on this album in this particular kind of way. Never. From thereon a new kind of musical style emerges. Ethereal might be one way to describe the sound that follows. Strangely enough, even though the words/phrase "if i'm gone", the closing phrase of the opener, has not yet been uttered, because we are still at that very moment in which all splits up into pieces, it somehow feels as if this shattering has already happened or if the listener does actually witness the process of the passing respectively the act of moving along. The condition is not more of a possibility but a fact that one not only has to endure but cannot stop it from happening. The inevitability of the fulfilment of the condition is intrinsic in the musical expression. The succeeding eponymous track is of importance in order to understand this release and how its fit into the musical development of this band. It is this one whose task might be described as having to deal with the issue of properly setting the stage and to ameliorate the impact of the "passing" -- this word should be understood a bit more broadly -- and to build it all up again. "if i'm gone" marks a break, but it is unclear of what kind this is. Whether it is renewal or actual reawakening remains hidden. The music on the succeeding track "Shallow" comes over as if a considerable amount of force would be necessary to (re-)build up enough strength to express even the simplest of words. The play of the piano is vague, the vocals have a hollow sound and contain a lot of reverberation. Those first words are jumbled together, an incoherent mess so to speak. It takes a few seconds to disentangle them. From there onward the new version of Sea Oleena enters the stage and from there onward the new music progresses. Of what kind is this though? Atmosphere over everything. An intimate setting. A soothing song by a siren. The track "Shallow" develops out of a minimalism of voice and piano into something in which there are even some short percussion elements that play along with the overall dominance of the piano and the vocals. Ambient with alternative music influences and vague rhythmic patterns is offered. Somehow the atmosphere has shifted and one might wonder whether this all-encompassing sadness will linger or whether there will be some kind of deviation in a different direction later on. One might argue that at least some kind of overall melancholy never ceases to have an impact on either of the tracks and tends to persist in the background throughout the rest of the album. One fixture, at least one fixture. "To Hold" feels rather pleasant, which is due to the play of the guitar and the lack of the piano. Its motifs are just a bunch of chords repeated over and over, while a bass adds some additional volume and atmosphere. Charlotte Oleena's voice hovers above everything. The excessive way in which she expresses the lyrics, aspirating them even, demands a certain level of attention and focus. Single words or even syllables appear stretched over the length of a few seconds, as she lures the listener into a realm of calmness and serenity. Sit back. Relax. Let all those pesky thoughts leave you for a moment and enjoy these fleeting sounds. Yet always with a speck of sadness. "Shades of Golden" continues this way. Builds up upon it. Develops the concept even more. Not much, but a bit. There is still only the guitar and the piano remains absent. "Everyone With Eyes Closed" is even happier, because of the rather charming and sweet melody. Even the percussion elements are allowed to participate again. With "Vinton, LA" an amalgam of the earlier approaches, sans the first track, makes an appearance. 11:24[1] clocks this longest of all tracks on this release. Stylistically it can be divided into several parts. Some combine a mixture of piano and the vocals, sometimes other instruments are granted a shot and final moment of attention or recognition. Like waves all ebbs and flows along. This is also expressed by a certain motif of six successive notes that is played by the piano, but varied to some extent. Contrary to what had been said before about the piano, in this track moments of playfulness can be found. Guitars and layers of ambience close this last track. A gentle ending after a long and complex set of atmospheres and impressions. "yours is a path i'd like to cross" It ends with this. It hollows out. It ends with an offer or a proposal or a suggestion? This last sentence sums up the mood that appears to cut through this release. People, relationship, emotions, state of mind are some of the aspects that are dealt with throughout the music. Yet always shrouded in a mist of metaphors or analogies. This had been true of the previous albums and is true of this one. Nothing is clear cut in terms of this band. Nothing immediately accessible. An antidote to the ready-made consumer products of our days. If taken literally though, then the shallowness is expressed there to a considerably degree again. This blink of an eye, this vague impact is all that is allowed to be witnessed and experienced. To sum it up: With the first proper release presenting a palimpsest of visuals, flowers and an image of Charlotte Oleena, the second output has only the flowers left, while the third presents the effect of the rearrangement: a pricked finger. To leave things behind may demand a sacrifice, may demand some effort to pull through, while the overall outcome remains uncertain and unclear. The cover is a presentation of a factual definiteness, which has this touch of appellative communication with the listener/viewer: "Look what I have done", "Look what was necessary", "Feel with me, comfort me." This is what can be seen on the cover, this is what can be felt throughout the release. The visual imagery coincides with the underlying conceptual direction and it prepares the listener for the musical expression(s). Those who have followed the band over the years have to bear the fact and witness it -- first hand so to speak and literally as well as metaphorically -- that those day of playful tunes, those odd rhythmic patterns, the outré chimes are gone by and have been moved to the past. Sea Oleena's music has developed and this came at a price. And this price, let us take a dive into a cesspool filled to the brim with cliche now, has to be paid in blood. By listening to the music and by experiencing the tunes, by letting it all flow and fill the room, it does not appear to be something that is expressed in the songs: shallow. Note: The lyrics had been taken from the Bandcamp page and have not been corrected in any way. 1: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Fibonaccin-StepNumber.html {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2014]] </div> 87102805615186b1a25c94030870764155e12c71 245 238 2022-03-08T19:50:26Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Shallow appears to point towards various aspects. Be it the slight self harm on the cover artwork or be it the music that is presented on this album. In either case it can be used to describe what is actually going on. This one word in the title indicates a state, something that is recognizable and maybe to some extent even measurable. Considering that either of these are prone to be watered in one way or another, due to these being things that are visible and therefore open to the realm of interpretation, it nevertheless opens a space in which a discourse is able to take place. For arguments' sake let us examine the cover artwork in relation to this. Firstly, due to the definite focus on the arm, the finger and the blood, it marks a deviation from the blurred perspective that were present on the two releases prior to this one. Here we have a definite expression, a performance so to speak, whose depiction can be understood unmistakably and immediately. No translation needed. A cut. Blood. Pain. What is confusing though is the execution of this act, is this slight/negligible/minuscule spill of blood and the actual play with it; see the front and the back of the CD release. These small droplets moved around the finger, were possibly examined and granted some freedom. Yet it comes over as a comparably superfluous attempt, because not much is achieved by it. Imagine it being done in public, then the chances of receiving help might be influenced by the looks and gender of the person, who would stage such a performance. All in all though, this shallow deed would generally lead to not much harm and have little effect. The same cannot be said of the music. The term shallow can be interpreted in various degrees here. Some may point to the overall conception of the music, others to the complexity. Both views are right and it is rather the aspect of establishing how this new setup of the music fits into the broader scheme of things. This is the part that is of some importance. A striking aspect is how the release opens. First the continuous play of a chord by the piano, then the voice, then the tremolo of a violin and then the bass. What follows are electronic beats, a steady rhythm and a to and fro between the instruments. One might imagine that Sea Oleena is in the spirit of things and progresses somewhat similar to what had been presented on earlier releases. A bit different maybe, but still recognizable and of a similar atmosphere. This impression could not be more wrong and it is not nice to force the listener to experience a shift into a new direction, this drastic measure in exploring the music further and to cut off old strains so to speak. "If I'm", just by looking at the title of the track for a moment, implies the discussion of a possibility, the existence of a conflict and something that could be, but always with the chance of refraining from it. This is the part of the lyrics: [...] if i'm a body you're a blanket on me if i'm a forest you're the field at my feet if i'm a corner that the dark backs into you're the darkness that this corner clings to if i'm a mountain with the moon above me i, the mountain, choose the moon to envy [...] if i'm gone "Envy" is the word with which everything starts to fade out. While it hollows out into the distance, the music breaks down, the structure breaks down, the instrumentation breaks down and all of these elements do not make a reappearance anywhere on this album in this particular kind of way. Never. From thereon a new kind of musical style emerges. Ethereal might be one way to describe the sound that follows. Strangely enough, even though the words/phrase "if i'm gone", the closing phrase of the opener, has not yet been uttered, because we are still at that very moment in which all splits up into pieces, it somehow feels as if this shattering has already happened or if the listener does actually witness the process of the passing respectively the act of moving along. The condition is not more of a possibility but a fact that one not only has to endure but cannot stop it from happening. The inevitability of the fulfilment of the condition is intrinsic in the musical expression. The succeeding eponymous track is of importance in order to understand this release and how its fit into the musical development of this band. It is this one whose task might be described as having to deal with the issue of properly setting the stage and to ameliorate the impact of the "passing" -- this word should be understood a bit more broadly -- and to build it all up again. "if i'm gone" marks a break, but it is unclear of what kind this is. Whether it is renewal or actual reawakening remains hidden. The music on the succeeding track "Shallow" comes over as if a considerable amount of force would be necessary to (re-)build up enough strength to express even the simplest of words. The play of the piano is vague, the vocals have a hollow sound and contain a lot of reverberation. Those first words are jumbled together, an incoherent mess so to speak. It takes a few seconds to disentangle them. From there onward the new version of Sea Oleena enters the stage and from there onward the new music progresses. Of what kind is this though? Atmosphere over everything. An intimate setting. A soothing song by a siren. The track "Shallow" develops out of a minimalism of voice and piano into something in which there are even some short percussion elements that play along with the overall dominance of the piano and the vocals. Ambient with alternative music influences and vague rhythmic patterns is offered. Somehow the atmosphere has shifted and one might wonder whether this all-encompassing sadness will linger or whether there will be some kind of deviation in a different direction later on. One might argue that at least some kind of overall melancholy never ceases to have an impact on either of the tracks and tends to persist in the background throughout the rest of the album. One fixture, at least one fixture. "To Hold" feels rather pleasant, which is due to the play of the guitar and the lack of the piano. Its motifs are just a bunch of chords repeated over and over, while a bass adds some additional volume and atmosphere. Charlotte Oleena's voice hovers above everything. The excessive way in which she expresses the lyrics, aspirating them even, demands a certain level of attention and focus. Single words or even syllables appear stretched over the length of a few seconds, as she lures the listener into a realm of calmness and serenity. Sit back. Relax. Let all those pesky thoughts leave you for a moment and enjoy these fleeting sounds. Yet always with a speck of sadness. "Shades of Golden" continues this way. Builds up upon it. Develops the concept even more. Not much, but a bit. There is still only the guitar and the piano remains absent. "Everyone With Eyes Closed" is even happier, because of the rather charming and sweet melody. Even the percussion elements are allowed to participate again. With "Vinton, LA" an amalgam of the earlier approaches, sans the first track, makes an appearance. 11:24[1] clocks this longest of all tracks on this release. Stylistically it can be divided into several parts. Some combine a mixture of piano and the vocals, sometimes other instruments are granted a shot and final moment of attention or recognition. Like waves all ebbs and flows along. This is also expressed by a certain motif of six successive notes that is played by the piano, but varied to some extent. Contrary to what had been said before about the piano, in this track moments of playfulness can be found. Guitars and layers of ambience close this last track. A gentle ending after a long and complex set of atmospheres and impressions. "yours is a path i'd like to cross" It ends with this. It hollows out. It ends with an offer or a proposal or a suggestion? This last sentence sums up the mood that appears to cut through this release. People, relationship, emotions, state of mind are some of the aspects that are dealt with throughout the music. Yet always shrouded in a mist of metaphors or analogies. This had been true of the previous albums and is true of this one. Nothing is clear cut in terms of this band. Nothing immediately accessible. An antidote to the ready-made consumer products of our days. If taken literally though, then the shallowness is expressed there to a considerably degree again. This blink of an eye, this vague impact is all that is allowed to be witnessed and experienced. To sum it up: With the first proper release presenting a palimpsest of visuals, flowers and an image of Charlotte Oleena, the second output has only the flowers left, while the third presents the effect of the rearrangement: a pricked finger. To leave things behind may demand a sacrifice, may demand some effort to pull through, while the overall outcome remains uncertain and unclear. The cover is a presentation of a factual definiteness, which has this touch of appellative communication with the listener/viewer: "Look what I have done", "Look what was necessary", "Feel with me, comfort me." This is what can be seen on the cover, this is what can be felt throughout the release. The visual imagery coincides with the underlying conceptual direction and it prepares the listener for the musical expression(s). Those who have followed the band over the years have to bear the fact and witness it -- first hand so to speak and literally as well as metaphorically -- that those day of playful tunes, those odd rhythmic patterns, the outré chimes are gone by and have been moved to the past. Sea Oleena's music has developed and this came at a price. And this price, let us take a dive into a cesspool filled to the brim with cliche now, has to be paid in blood. By listening to the music and by experiencing the tunes, by letting it all flow and fill the room, it does not appear to be something that is expressed in the songs: shallow. Note: The lyrics had been taken from the Bandcamp page and have not been corrected in any way. 1: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Fibonaccin-StepNumber.html {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2014]] </div> 756384ffc29065ff87b92aadbbcd266541fe908f 249 245 2022-03-08T19:52:38Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Shallow appears to point towards various aspects. Be it the slight self harm on the cover artwork or be it the music that is presented on this album. In either case it can be used to describe what is actually going on. This one word in the title indicates a state, something that is recognizable and maybe to some extent even measurable. Considering that either of these are prone to be watered in one way or another, due to these being things that are visible and therefore open to the realm of interpretation, it nevertheless opens a space in which a discourse is able to take place. For arguments' sake let us examine the cover artwork in relation to this. Firstly, due to the definite focus on the arm, the finger and the blood, it marks a deviation from the blurred perspective that were present on the two releases prior to this one. Here we have a definite expression, a performance so to speak, whose depiction can be understood unmistakably and immediately. No translation needed. A cut. Blood. Pain. What is confusing though is the execution of this act, is this slight/negligible/minuscule spill of blood and the actual play with it; see the front and the back of the CD release. These small droplets moved around the finger, were possibly examined and granted some freedom. Yet it comes over as a comparably superfluous attempt, because not much is achieved by it. Imagine it being done in public, then the chances of receiving help might be influenced by the looks and gender of the person, who would stage such a performance. All in all though, this shallow deed would generally lead to not much harm and have little effect. The same cannot be said of the music. The term shallow can be interpreted in various degrees here. Some may point to the overall conception of the music, others to the complexity. Both views are right and it is rather the aspect of establishing how this new setup of the music fits into the broader scheme of things. This is the part that is of some importance. A striking aspect is how the release opens. First the continuous play of a chord by the piano, then the voice, then the tremolo of a violin and then the bass. What follows are electronic beats, a steady rhythm and a to and fro between the instruments. One might imagine that Sea Oleena is in the spirit of things and progresses somewhat similar to what had been presented on earlier releases. A bit different maybe, but still recognizable and of a similar atmosphere. This impression could not be more wrong and it is not nice to force the listener to experience a shift into a new direction, this drastic measure in exploring the music further and to cut off old strains so to speak. "If I'm", just by looking at the title of the track for a moment, implies the discussion of a possibility, the existence of a conflict and something that could be, but always with the chance of refraining from it. This is the part of the lyrics: [...] if i'm a body you're a blanket on me if i'm a forest you're the field at my feet if i'm a corner that the dark backs into you're the darkness that this corner clings to if i'm a mountain with the moon above me i, the mountain, choose the moon to envy [...] if i'm gone "Envy" is the word with which everything starts to fade out. While it hollows out into the distance, the music breaks down, the structure breaks down, the instrumentation breaks down and all of these elements do not make a reappearance anywhere on this album in this particular kind of way. Never. From thereon a new kind of musical style emerges. Ethereal might be one way to describe the sound that follows. Strangely enough, even though the words/phrase "if i'm gone", the closing phrase of the opener, has not yet been uttered, because we are still at that very moment in which all splits up into pieces, it somehow feels as if this shattering has already happened or if the listener does actually witness the process of the passing respectively the act of moving along. The condition is not more of a possibility but a fact that one not only has to endure but cannot stop it from happening. The inevitability of the fulfilment of the condition is intrinsic in the musical expression. The succeeding eponymous track is of importance in order to understand this release and how its fit into the musical development of this band. It is this one whose task might be described as having to deal with the issue of properly setting the stage and to ameliorate the impact of the "passing" -- this word should be understood a bit more broadly -- and to build it all up again. "if i'm gone" marks a break, but it is unclear of what kind this is. Whether it is renewal or actual reawakening remains hidden. The music on the succeeding track "Shallow" comes over as if a considerable amount of force would be necessary to (re-)build up enough strength to express even the simplest of words. The play of the piano is vague, the vocals have a hollow sound and contain a lot of reverberation. Those first words are jumbled together, an incoherent mess so to speak. It takes a few seconds to disentangle them. From there onward the new version of Sea Oleena enters the stage and from there onward the new music progresses. Of what kind is this though? Atmosphere over everything. An intimate setting. A soothing song by a siren. The track "Shallow" develops out of a minimalism of voice and piano into something in which there are even some short percussion elements that play along with the overall dominance of the piano and the vocals. Ambient with alternative music influences and vague rhythmic patterns is offered. Somehow the atmosphere has shifted and one might wonder whether this all-encompassing sadness will linger or whether there will be some kind of deviation in a different direction later on. One might argue that at least some kind of overall melancholy never ceases to have an impact on either of the tracks and tends to persist in the background throughout the rest of the album. One fixture, at least one fixture. "To Hold" feels rather pleasant, which is due to the play of the guitar and the lack of the piano. Its motifs are just a bunch of chords repeated over and over, while a bass adds some additional volume and atmosphere. Charlotte Oleena's voice hovers above everything. The excessive way in which she expresses the lyrics, aspirating them even, demands a certain level of attention and focus. Single words or even syllables appear stretched over the length of a few seconds, as she lures the listener into a realm of calmness and serenity. Sit back. Relax. Let all those pesky thoughts leave you for a moment and enjoy these fleeting sounds. Yet always with a speck of sadness. "Shades of Golden" continues this way. Builds up upon it. Develops the concept even more. Not much, but a bit. There is still only the guitar and the piano remains absent. "Everyone With Eyes Closed" is even happier, because of the rather charming and sweet melody. Even the percussion elements are allowed to participate again. With "Vinton, LA" an amalgam of the earlier approaches, sans the first track, makes an appearance. 11:24[1] clocks this longest of all tracks on this release. Stylistically it can be divided into several parts. Some combine a mixture of piano and the vocals, sometimes other instruments are granted a shot and final moment of attention or recognition. Like waves all ebbs and flows along. This is also expressed by a certain motif of six successive notes that is played by the piano, but varied to some extent. Contrary to what had been said before about the piano, in this track moments of playfulness can be found. Guitars and layers of ambience close this last track. A gentle ending after a long and complex set of atmospheres and impressions. "yours is a path i'd like to cross" It ends with this. It hollows out. It ends with an offer or a proposal or a suggestion? This last sentence sums up the mood that appears to cut through this release. People, relationship, emotions, state of mind are some of the aspects that are dealt with throughout the music. Yet always shrouded in a mist of metaphors or analogies. This had been true of the previous albums and is true of this one. Nothing is clear cut in terms of this band. Nothing immediately accessible. An antidote to the ready-made consumer products of our days. If taken literally though, then the shallowness is expressed there to a considerably degree again. This blink of an eye, this vague impact is all that is allowed to be witnessed and experienced. To sum it up: With the first proper release presenting a palimpsest of visuals, flowers and an image of Charlotte Oleena, the second output has only the flowers left, while the third presents the effect of the rearrangement: a pricked finger. To leave things behind may demand a sacrifice, may demand some effort to pull through, while the overall outcome remains uncertain and unclear. The cover is a presentation of a factual definiteness, which has this touch of appellative communication with the listener/viewer: "Look what I have done", "Look what was necessary", "Feel with me, comfort me." This is what can be seen on the cover, this is what can be felt throughout the release. The visual imagery coincides with the underlying conceptual direction and it prepares the listener for the musical expression(s). Those who have followed the band over the years have to bear the fact and witness it -- first hand so to speak and literally as well as metaphorically -- that those day of playful tunes, those odd rhythmic patterns, the outré chimes are gone by and have been moved to the past. Sea Oleena's music has developed and this came at a price. And this price, let us take a dive into a cesspool filled to the brim with cliche now, has to be paid in blood. By listening to the music and by experiencing the tunes, by letting it all flow and fill the room, it does not appear to be something that is expressed in the songs: shallow. Note: The lyrics had been taken from the Bandcamp page and have not been corrected in any way. 1: https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Fibonaccin-StepNumber.html {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2014]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2014]][[Series::2]] </div> d93166586703a67f1d7d2ee2e46c5324af8a6c96 0 106 231 2022-03-08T19:42:54Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} What had started on the previous release Shallow, has continued on this one: a progression towards minimalism and a step away from the use of percuss..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} What had started on the previous release Shallow, has continued on this one: a progression towards minimalism and a step away from the use of percussion or rhythmic elements. Interestingly though, the title might actually indicate a step in a different direction. A direction in which all would become wholesome or even full circle. This is not only indicated by the artefact "basket" -- an artefact to put things into --, but also in the way this is crafted. It is made of single strains that are woven together in a somewhat predictable pattern. In the end a container is created that is able to hold some kind of material or good; be it edible or non-edible ones. Leaving this aspect aside, the act of crafting such a piece points towards a technique that can be found on all inhabited continents, which makes the aspect of weaving a basket something known in all/most cultures. If this vessel is created by single strains that by a certain type of manufacturing process are brought together, then the question arises whether these can be found in the tracks and their (peculiar kind of) music. By default weaving a basket[1] requires only a small set of elements or tools. No grand set of machinery is needed. Patience and goods of a certain quality are the prerequisite. The rest is skill and an idea on what to create. This is the reason it is also used for therapeutic purposes. But how does the music on this release fit into this? Let us start with the cover artwork again. It is possible to read something into it, especially considering the development this band has taken. We are back into the realm of blurriness. This time though it is a group of water birds that fills up the cover. A grey geese, a mute swan, a coot and various types of gulls. One gull is the centre of an otherwise calm scenery and this one, along with another one behind it, adds movement and energy to it; an energy that is not focussed but can be chaotic and unpredictable. Does this frozen impetus have an impact on the music? Is this idea of flying a metaphor for liberation and freedom or of breaking one's chain represented in the sounds on this release? Interestingly enough, the album still contains seven tracks. This is something all of Sea Oleena's main releases at Bandcamp have in common. The way "Will I Know" opens the album is slightly bewildering, because it takes you back to the previous release "Shallow" and its eponymous track. While it clearly differs, some similarities can nevertheless be made out. The same way of building up energy and of attempting to set the mood right. This time though the piano has less of the melancholic touch, while the vocals have a different sound and set up a different kind of atmosphere. In some respect this track and even more so the last one "Horses" are bewildering due to the way their elements have been arranged. In either case a strange impression of field recording imposes itself unto the listener. The slight hollow sound, the motif itself and how it fits into the scheme of the introduction of this album leaves one confused. It feels detached. Not much, but slightly. The music does not get simpler after that. A rather curious track is the second one, Calvisius. For once it is or creates the impression to be an instrumental one. Furthermore, the Latin name does not reveal its meaning readily and point to a well known historical figure, because a lot of people might have used this name in the past. While there would be someone with such a name, Sethus Calvisius[2], and even though he had something to do with music, it is difficult to put his late Renaissance approach and the one by Sea Oleena in one basket. Well, we need to pick another strain, then. Meet Lucius Calvenus Taurus[3]. Why? Bear with me on this one. His other name is Calvisius Taurus. One part coincides with the track title, but most of you would instantaneously object to this, because the mere fact that such a similarity exists, does not explain everything. And you would be right. The thing is that on the Bandcamp page of Sea Oleena, Charlotte Oleena, the sole person behind this band, had added the word taurus to the profile, which means that we have both of the words of the name. Still sceptical? Another argument can be brought forth. According to Wikipedia "All of Taurus's works are lost, except for some fragments of his commentaries on Timaeus and the Republic" (highlighting theirs). Remember, this is an instrumental track and there are no words, because they have been lost. All that can be heard are vague ethereal vocal expressions, whose style could be described, with keeping all of the above in mind, as distant memories of the past. Something still present, but not really discernable. A vague shadow haunts this track and it is evoked by the ethereal voice of Charlotte Oleena. The other tracks are less extreme or rather less minimalist, but they deviate considerably in style and sound from the ones on previous recordings. One might suspect that the music is rather easy-going and accessible, considering the topic of this recording, but this is actually not the case. While it may invoke a state of relaxation, the lack of real contrasts, the limitation to a small set of layers, may reflect on the idea of strains and how each of the tracks would weave a part into the whole set. The atmosphere appears to have been the main focus when crafting this recording and somehow the layers of sounds cancel each other out, whereby some residue remains, whose incomprehensible amalgam is not easy to digest; "Carrying". The tracks three to six are all drowning to various degrees in this pit and even though there are some variation, they are somewhat negligible. The playing of the guitar is minimalist, the vocals are always the same and bereft of any sense of dynamics and the background effects are there and nothing more. This impression of something distant, of something difficult to grasp and to deal with has increased in impact compared with the previous release. The setting is more minimalist here, has a stronger sense of intimacy and less of diversion. While additional facets like textures remain to have an impact, their place is now rather in the background and kept at bay. A well construed set of arrangements is what can be found throughout the album. Each of the tracks has a distinct set of elements and sounds, while the general approach never leaves a certain boundary. As if all has to be kept in a basket, a confined space so to speak. Nevertheless, at times and especially towards the end, the sounds are confusing and rather strange. Careless, at times even nonchalant is how the music comes over. The odd way of playing the guitar in "Carrying" as well as in "Horses" adds to this and is more than just bewildering. Weaving a basket? At times it sounds as if there are attempts made in deconstructing it. As well as if certain parts of songs would spread out and cannot be brought back into order. In some respect this release fulfils at last what had been promised on the preceding output "Shallow". The complexity is gone, certain instruments have vanished, while layers of sounds and samples have been added. What is a somewhat bothersome facet of this release is the utter disregard for variation in the concept. Round and round it goes. Another spin, another one and another one. Nothing of the daringness of earlier releases is there, no clear counterpoints, just an endless droning of sounds. Of course it is not fair to reduce the argument to this level and especially the end of "Gardens" differs from the other tracks and so does "Lost Song", but it feels artificial due to the similarity in the way this addendum had been placed. A suffix and nothing more. The cover depicts a fleeting moment, a kind generally ignored or cast aside for being trivial and of little importance. Banal would be one way to describe it. Unless something outré occurs, the brain would hardly find it appropriate to store it for future use and all these impressions are destined to fade into oblivion. Sadly, part of the music feels like this as well. Note: <li>1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving <li>2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethus_Calvisius <li>3: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucius_Calvenus_Taurus&oldid=1017372115 {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2010]] </div> 896fe4f2167a3963798c1fe810189211f9d2d99c 234 231 2022-03-08T19:44:28Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} What had started on the previous release Shallow, has continued on this one: a progression towards minimalism and a step away from the use of percussion or rhythmic elements. Interestingly though, the title might actually indicate a step in a different direction. A direction in which all would become wholesome or even full circle. This is not only indicated by the artefact "basket" -- an artefact to put things into --, but also in the way this is crafted. It is made of single strains that are woven together in a somewhat predictable pattern. In the end a container is created that is able to hold some kind of material or good; be it edible or non-edible ones. Leaving this aspect aside, the act of crafting such a piece points towards a technique that can be found on all inhabited continents, which makes the aspect of weaving a basket something known in all/most cultures. If this vessel is created by single strains that by a certain type of manufacturing process are brought together, then the question arises whether these can be found in the tracks and their (peculiar kind of) music. By default weaving a basket[1] requires only a small set of elements or tools. No grand set of machinery is needed. Patience and goods of a certain quality are the prerequisite. The rest is skill and an idea on what to create. This is the reason it is also used for therapeutic purposes. But how does the music on this release fit into this? Let us start with the cover artwork again. It is possible to read something into it, especially considering the development this band has taken. We are back into the realm of blurriness. This time though it is a group of water birds that fills up the cover. A grey geese, a mute swan, a coot and various types of gulls. One gull is the centre of an otherwise calm scenery and this one, along with another one behind it, adds movement and energy to it; an energy that is not focussed but can be chaotic and unpredictable. Does this frozen impetus have an impact on the music? Is this idea of flying a metaphor for liberation and freedom or of breaking one's chain represented in the sounds on this release? Interestingly enough, the album still contains seven tracks. This is something all of Sea Oleena's main releases at Bandcamp have in common. The way "Will I Know" opens the album is slightly bewildering, because it takes you back to the previous release "Shallow" and its eponymous track. While it clearly differs, some similarities can nevertheless be made out. The same way of building up energy and of attempting to set the mood right. This time though the piano has less of the melancholic touch, while the vocals have a different sound and set up a different kind of atmosphere. In some respect this track and even more so the last one "Horses" are bewildering due to the way their elements have been arranged. In either case a strange impression of field recording imposes itself unto the listener. The slight hollow sound, the motif itself and how it fits into the scheme of the introduction of this album leaves one confused. It feels detached. Not much, but slightly. The music does not get simpler after that. A rather curious track is the second one, Calvisius. For once it is or creates the impression to be an instrumental one. Furthermore, the Latin name does not reveal its meaning readily and point to a well known historical figure, because a lot of people might have used this name in the past. While there would be someone with such a name, Sethus Calvisius[2], and even though he had something to do with music, it is difficult to put his late Renaissance approach and the one by Sea Oleena in one basket. Well, we need to pick another strain, then. Meet Lucius Calvenus Taurus[3]. Why? Bear with me on this one. His other name is Calvisius Taurus. One part coincides with the track title, but most of you would instantaneously object to this, because the mere fact that such a similarity exists, does not explain everything. And you would be right. The thing is that on the Bandcamp page of Sea Oleena, Charlotte Oleena, the sole person behind this band, had added the word taurus to the profile, which means that we have both of the words of the name. Still sceptical? Another argument can be brought forth. According to Wikipedia "All of Taurus's works are lost, except for some fragments of his commentaries on Timaeus and the Republic" (highlighting theirs). Remember, this is an instrumental track and there are no words, because they have been lost. All that can be heard are vague ethereal vocal expressions, whose style could be described, with keeping all of the above in mind, as distant memories of the past. Something still present, but not really discernable. A vague shadow haunts this track and it is evoked by the ethereal voice of Charlotte Oleena. The other tracks are less extreme or rather less minimalist, but they deviate considerably in style and sound from the ones on previous recordings. One might suspect that the music is rather easy-going and accessible, considering the topic of this recording, but this is actually not the case. While it may invoke a state of relaxation, the lack of real contrasts, the limitation to a small set of layers, may reflect on the idea of strains and how each of the tracks would weave a part into the whole set. The atmosphere appears to have been the main focus when crafting this recording and somehow the layers of sounds cancel each other out, whereby some residue remains, whose incomprehensible amalgam is not easy to digest; "Carrying". The tracks three to six are all drowning to various degrees in this pit and even though there are some variation, they are somewhat negligible. The playing of the guitar is minimalist, the vocals are always the same and bereft of any sense of dynamics and the background effects are there and nothing more. This impression of something distant, of something difficult to grasp and to deal with has increased in impact compared with the previous release. The setting is more minimalist here, has a stronger sense of intimacy and less of diversion. While additional facets like textures remain to have an impact, their place is now rather in the background and kept at bay. A well construed set of arrangements is what can be found throughout the album. Each of the tracks has a distinct set of elements and sounds, while the general approach never leaves a certain boundary. As if all has to be kept in a basket, a confined space so to speak. Nevertheless, at times and especially towards the end, the sounds are confusing and rather strange. Careless, at times even nonchalant is how the music comes over. The odd way of playing the guitar in "Carrying" as well as in "Horses" adds to this and is more than just bewildering. Weaving a basket? At times it sounds as if there are attempts made in deconstructing it. As well as if certain parts of songs would spread out and cannot be brought back into order. In some respect this release fulfils at last what had been promised on the preceding output "Shallow". The complexity is gone, certain instruments have vanished, while layers of sounds and samples have been added. What is a somewhat bothersome facet of this release is the utter disregard for variation in the concept. Round and round it goes. Another spin, another one and another one. Nothing of the daringness of earlier releases is there, no clear counterpoints, just an endless droning of sounds. Of course it is not fair to reduce the argument to this level and especially the end of "Gardens" differs from the other tracks and so does "Lost Song", but it feels artificial due to the similarity in the way this addendum had been placed. A suffix and nothing more. The cover depicts a fleeting moment, a kind generally ignored or cast aside for being trivial and of little importance. Banal would be one way to describe it. Unless something outré occurs, the brain would hardly find it appropriate to store it for future use and all these impressions are destined to fade into oblivion. Sadly, part of the music feels like this as well. Note: <li>1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving <li>2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethus_Calvisius <li>3: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucius_Calvenus_Taurus&oldid=1017372115 {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2020]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2020]] </div> 436259456d30fbff1d9f9ecf89f15adbbeb78812 242 234 2022-03-08T19:49:39Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} What had started on the previous release Shallow, has continued on this one: a progression towards minimalism and a step away from the use of percussion or rhythmic elements. Interestingly though, the title might actually indicate a step in a different direction. A direction in which all would become wholesome or even full circle. This is not only indicated by the artefact "basket" -- an artefact to put things into --, but also in the way this is crafted. It is made of single strains that are woven together in a somewhat predictable pattern. In the end a container is created that is able to hold some kind of material or good; be it edible or non-edible ones. Leaving this aspect aside, the act of crafting such a piece points towards a technique that can be found on all inhabited continents, which makes the aspect of weaving a basket something known in all/most cultures. If this vessel is created by single strains that by a certain type of manufacturing process are brought together, then the question arises whether these can be found in the tracks and their (peculiar kind of) music. By default weaving a basket[1] requires only a small set of elements or tools. No grand set of machinery is needed. Patience and goods of a certain quality are the prerequisite. The rest is skill and an idea on what to create. This is the reason it is also used for therapeutic purposes. But how does the music on this release fit into this? Let us start with the cover artwork again. It is possible to read something into it, especially considering the development this band has taken. We are back into the realm of blurriness. This time though it is a group of water birds that fills up the cover. A grey geese, a mute swan, a coot and various types of gulls. One gull is the centre of an otherwise calm scenery and this one, along with another one behind it, adds movement and energy to it; an energy that is not focussed but can be chaotic and unpredictable. Does this frozen impetus have an impact on the music? Is this idea of flying a metaphor for liberation and freedom or of breaking one's chain represented in the sounds on this release? Interestingly enough, the album still contains seven tracks. This is something all of Sea Oleena's main releases at Bandcamp have in common. The way "Will I Know" opens the album is slightly bewildering, because it takes you back to the previous release "Shallow" and its eponymous track. While it clearly differs, some similarities can nevertheless be made out. The same way of building up energy and of attempting to set the mood right. This time though the piano has less of the melancholic touch, while the vocals have a different sound and set up a different kind of atmosphere. In some respect this track and even more so the last one "Horses" are bewildering due to the way their elements have been arranged. In either case a strange impression of field recording imposes itself unto the listener. The slight hollow sound, the motif itself and how it fits into the scheme of the introduction of this album leaves one confused. It feels detached. Not much, but slightly. The music does not get simpler after that. A rather curious track is the second one, Calvisius. For once it is or creates the impression to be an instrumental one. Furthermore, the Latin name does not reveal its meaning readily and point to a well known historical figure, because a lot of people might have used this name in the past. While there would be someone with such a name, Sethus Calvisius[2], and even though he had something to do with music, it is difficult to put his late Renaissance approach and the one by Sea Oleena in one basket. Well, we need to pick another strain, then. Meet Lucius Calvenus Taurus[3]. Why? Bear with me on this one. His other name is Calvisius Taurus. One part coincides with the track title, but most of you would instantaneously object to this, because the mere fact that such a similarity exists, does not explain everything. And you would be right. The thing is that on the Bandcamp page of Sea Oleena, Charlotte Oleena, the sole person behind this band, had added the word taurus to the profile, which means that we have both of the words of the name. Still sceptical? Another argument can be brought forth. According to Wikipedia "All of Taurus's works are lost, except for some fragments of his commentaries on Timaeus and the Republic" (highlighting theirs). Remember, this is an instrumental track and there are no words, because they have been lost. All that can be heard are vague ethereal vocal expressions, whose style could be described, with keeping all of the above in mind, as distant memories of the past. Something still present, but not really discernable. A vague shadow haunts this track and it is evoked by the ethereal voice of Charlotte Oleena. The other tracks are less extreme or rather less minimalist, but they deviate considerably in style and sound from the ones on previous recordings. One might suspect that the music is rather easy-going and accessible, considering the topic of this recording, but this is actually not the case. While it may invoke a state of relaxation, the lack of real contrasts, the limitation to a small set of layers, may reflect on the idea of strains and how each of the tracks would weave a part into the whole set. The atmosphere appears to have been the main focus when crafting this recording and somehow the layers of sounds cancel each other out, whereby some residue remains, whose incomprehensible amalgam is not easy to digest; "Carrying". The tracks three to six are all drowning to various degrees in this pit and even though there are some variation, they are somewhat negligible. The playing of the guitar is minimalist, the vocals are always the same and bereft of any sense of dynamics and the background effects are there and nothing more. This impression of something distant, of something difficult to grasp and to deal with has increased in impact compared with the previous release. The setting is more minimalist here, has a stronger sense of intimacy and less of diversion. While additional facets like textures remain to have an impact, their place is now rather in the background and kept at bay. A well construed set of arrangements is what can be found throughout the album. Each of the tracks has a distinct set of elements and sounds, while the general approach never leaves a certain boundary. As if all has to be kept in a basket, a confined space so to speak. Nevertheless, at times and especially towards the end, the sounds are confusing and rather strange. Careless, at times even nonchalant is how the music comes over. The odd way of playing the guitar in "Carrying" as well as in "Horses" adds to this and is more than just bewildering. Weaving a basket? At times it sounds as if there are attempts made in deconstructing it. As well as if certain parts of songs would spread out and cannot be brought back into order. In some respect this release fulfils at last what had been promised on the preceding output "Shallow". The complexity is gone, certain instruments have vanished, while layers of sounds and samples have been added. What is a somewhat bothersome facet of this release is the utter disregard for variation in the concept. Round and round it goes. Another spin, another one and another one. Nothing of the daringness of earlier releases is there, no clear counterpoints, just an endless droning of sounds. Of course it is not fair to reduce the argument to this level and especially the end of "Gardens" differs from the other tracks and so does "Lost Song", but it feels artificial due to the similarity in the way this addendum had been placed. A suffix and nothing more. The cover depicts a fleeting moment, a kind generally ignored or cast aside for being trivial and of little importance. Banal would be one way to describe it. Unless something outré occurs, the brain would hardly find it appropriate to store it for future use and all these impressions are destined to fade into oblivion. Sadly, part of the music feels like this as well. Note: <li>1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving <li>2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethus_Calvisius <li>3: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucius_Calvenus_Taurus&oldid=1017372115 {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2020]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2020]] </div> ef37491d9be77921c4fe49fd5dc1363dafa09b52 250 242 2022-03-08T19:52:45Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} What had started on the previous release Shallow, has continued on this one: a progression towards minimalism and a step away from the use of percussion or rhythmic elements. Interestingly though, the title might actually indicate a step in a different direction. A direction in which all would become wholesome or even full circle. This is not only indicated by the artefact "basket" -- an artefact to put things into --, but also in the way this is crafted. It is made of single strains that are woven together in a somewhat predictable pattern. In the end a container is created that is able to hold some kind of material or good; be it edible or non-edible ones. Leaving this aspect aside, the act of crafting such a piece points towards a technique that can be found on all inhabited continents, which makes the aspect of weaving a basket something known in all/most cultures. If this vessel is created by single strains that by a certain type of manufacturing process are brought together, then the question arises whether these can be found in the tracks and their (peculiar kind of) music. By default weaving a basket[1] requires only a small set of elements or tools. No grand set of machinery is needed. Patience and goods of a certain quality are the prerequisite. The rest is skill and an idea on what to create. This is the reason it is also used for therapeutic purposes. But how does the music on this release fit into this? Let us start with the cover artwork again. It is possible to read something into it, especially considering the development this band has taken. We are back into the realm of blurriness. This time though it is a group of water birds that fills up the cover. A grey geese, a mute swan, a coot and various types of gulls. One gull is the centre of an otherwise calm scenery and this one, along with another one behind it, adds movement and energy to it; an energy that is not focussed but can be chaotic and unpredictable. Does this frozen impetus have an impact on the music? Is this idea of flying a metaphor for liberation and freedom or of breaking one's chain represented in the sounds on this release? Interestingly enough, the album still contains seven tracks. This is something all of Sea Oleena's main releases at Bandcamp have in common. The way "Will I Know" opens the album is slightly bewildering, because it takes you back to the previous release "Shallow" and its eponymous track. While it clearly differs, some similarities can nevertheless be made out. The same way of building up energy and of attempting to set the mood right. This time though the piano has less of the melancholic touch, while the vocals have a different sound and set up a different kind of atmosphere. In some respect this track and even more so the last one "Horses" are bewildering due to the way their elements have been arranged. In either case a strange impression of field recording imposes itself unto the listener. The slight hollow sound, the motif itself and how it fits into the scheme of the introduction of this album leaves one confused. It feels detached. Not much, but slightly. The music does not get simpler after that. A rather curious track is the second one, Calvisius. For once it is or creates the impression to be an instrumental one. Furthermore, the Latin name does not reveal its meaning readily and point to a well known historical figure, because a lot of people might have used this name in the past. While there would be someone with such a name, Sethus Calvisius[2], and even though he had something to do with music, it is difficult to put his late Renaissance approach and the one by Sea Oleena in one basket. Well, we need to pick another strain, then. Meet Lucius Calvenus Taurus[3]. Why? Bear with me on this one. His other name is Calvisius Taurus. One part coincides with the track title, but most of you would instantaneously object to this, because the mere fact that such a similarity exists, does not explain everything. And you would be right. The thing is that on the Bandcamp page of Sea Oleena, Charlotte Oleena, the sole person behind this band, had added the word taurus to the profile, which means that we have both of the words of the name. Still sceptical? Another argument can be brought forth. According to Wikipedia "All of Taurus's works are lost, except for some fragments of his commentaries on Timaeus and the Republic" (highlighting theirs). Remember, this is an instrumental track and there are no words, because they have been lost. All that can be heard are vague ethereal vocal expressions, whose style could be described, with keeping all of the above in mind, as distant memories of the past. Something still present, but not really discernable. A vague shadow haunts this track and it is evoked by the ethereal voice of Charlotte Oleena. The other tracks are less extreme or rather less minimalist, but they deviate considerably in style and sound from the ones on previous recordings. One might suspect that the music is rather easy-going and accessible, considering the topic of this recording, but this is actually not the case. While it may invoke a state of relaxation, the lack of real contrasts, the limitation to a small set of layers, may reflect on the idea of strains and how each of the tracks would weave a part into the whole set. The atmosphere appears to have been the main focus when crafting this recording and somehow the layers of sounds cancel each other out, whereby some residue remains, whose incomprehensible amalgam is not easy to digest; "Carrying". The tracks three to six are all drowning to various degrees in this pit and even though there are some variation, they are somewhat negligible. The playing of the guitar is minimalist, the vocals are always the same and bereft of any sense of dynamics and the background effects are there and nothing more. This impression of something distant, of something difficult to grasp and to deal with has increased in impact compared with the previous release. The setting is more minimalist here, has a stronger sense of intimacy and less of diversion. While additional facets like textures remain to have an impact, their place is now rather in the background and kept at bay. A well construed set of arrangements is what can be found throughout the album. Each of the tracks has a distinct set of elements and sounds, while the general approach never leaves a certain boundary. As if all has to be kept in a basket, a confined space so to speak. Nevertheless, at times and especially towards the end, the sounds are confusing and rather strange. Careless, at times even nonchalant is how the music comes over. The odd way of playing the guitar in "Carrying" as well as in "Horses" adds to this and is more than just bewildering. Weaving a basket? At times it sounds as if there are attempts made in deconstructing it. As well as if certain parts of songs would spread out and cannot be brought back into order. In some respect this release fulfils at last what had been promised on the preceding output "Shallow". The complexity is gone, certain instruments have vanished, while layers of sounds and samples have been added. What is a somewhat bothersome facet of this release is the utter disregard for variation in the concept. Round and round it goes. Another spin, another one and another one. Nothing of the daringness of earlier releases is there, no clear counterpoints, just an endless droning of sounds. Of course it is not fair to reduce the argument to this level and especially the end of "Gardens" differs from the other tracks and so does "Lost Song", but it feels artificial due to the similarity in the way this addendum had been placed. A suffix and nothing more. The cover depicts a fleeting moment, a kind generally ignored or cast aside for being trivial and of little importance. Banal would be one way to describe it. Unless something outré occurs, the brain would hardly find it appropriate to store it for future use and all these impressions are destined to fade into oblivion. Sadly, part of the music feels like this as well. Note: <li>1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_basket_weaving <li>2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethus_Calvisius <li>3: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucius_Calvenus_Taurus&oldid=1017372115 {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2020]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2020]][[Series::2]] </div> 0b75fb82a2a455e6f79f18cfaa2d0105dc7486c9 0 107 232 2022-03-08T19:43:30Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Only one track, then. Its content a procession of chords, while an ethereal voice adds some supplementary atmosphere. Additional to that something li..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Only one track, then. Its content a procession of chords, while an ethereal voice adds some supplementary atmosphere. Additional to that something like sound samples appear over the course of the track, which in the end wakes memories on the preceding "Weaving a Basket". Though while a continuation of an established idea appears to be the basic concept in terms of the atmosphere, the expression itself differs to some degree. As written above there is a procession of chords and it is up to the guitars to express these. Strangely enough those unmistakable and clear sounds work as a fix point in terms of how the music is perceived. Unlike on the preceding release, whose title indicated an act of crafting, this one points towards the opposite, as it is indicated by the title. All is surprisingly clear and bereft of layers of obscurity. There is the play of the guitar, there are vocals, there are the sound elements, there is the cover artwork and its unmistakable expression of direction and there are the lyrics, which follow in line what had been written before. It is such a gentle get-together that it is somehow mandatory, especially from the point of view of reviewer, to be annoyed by it. This overall banality and straight-forwardness is nothing but a stark deviation from the established routine of Sea Oleena. A gentle touch on the "soul", as some my call it. A nice track, but nothing less. Yet it is an improvement in terms of sound and style compared with the "Weaving a Basket" output. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2010]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2010]] </div> f1da2a857d15a7eb6a511b6f69ad7741cbbd6f50 233 232 2022-03-08T19:43:51Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Only one track, then. Its content a procession of chords, while an ethereal voice adds some supplementary atmosphere. Additional to that something like sound samples appear over the course of the track, which in the end wakes memories on the preceding "Weaving a Basket". Though while a continuation of an established idea appears to be the basic concept in terms of the atmosphere, the expression itself differs to some degree. As written above there is a procession of chords and it is up to the guitars to express these. Strangely enough those unmistakable and clear sounds work as a fix point in terms of how the music is perceived. Unlike on the preceding release, whose title indicated an act of crafting, this one points towards the opposite, as it is indicated by the title. All is surprisingly clear and bereft of layers of obscurity. There is the play of the guitar, there are vocals, there are the sound elements, there is the cover artwork and its unmistakable expression of direction and there are the lyrics, which follow in line what had been written before. It is such a gentle get-together that it is somehow mandatory, especially from the point of view of reviewer, to be annoyed by it. This overall banality and straight-forwardness is nothing but a stark deviation from the established routine of Sea Oleena. A gentle touch on the "soul", as some my call it. A nice track, but nothing less. Yet it is an improvement in terms of sound and style compared with the "Weaving a Basket" output. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review:2022]][[Released:2021]] </div> 1ededa71a4892b784a5e39620560d1a273dc1aab 244 233 2022-03-08T19:50:02Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Only one track, then. Its content a procession of chords, while an ethereal voice adds some supplementary atmosphere. Additional to that something like sound samples appear over the course of the track, which in the end wakes memories on the preceding "Weaving a Basket". Though while a continuation of an established idea appears to be the basic concept in terms of the atmosphere, the expression itself differs to some degree. As written above there is a procession of chords and it is up to the guitars to express these. Strangely enough those unmistakable and clear sounds work as a fix point in terms of how the music is perceived. Unlike on the preceding release, whose title indicated an act of crafting, this one points towards the opposite, as it is indicated by the title. All is surprisingly clear and bereft of layers of obscurity. There is the play of the guitar, there are vocals, there are the sound elements, there is the cover artwork and its unmistakable expression of direction and there are the lyrics, which follow in line what had been written before. It is such a gentle get-together that it is somehow mandatory, especially from the point of view of reviewer, to be annoyed by it. This overall banality and straight-forwardness is nothing but a stark deviation from the established routine of Sea Oleena. A gentle touch on the "soul", as some my call it. A nice track, but nothing less. Yet it is an improvement in terms of sound and style compared with the "Weaving a Basket" output. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2021]] </div> 0bfd10fac5edab44bf211bc9b907aff72e96f8e9 252 244 2022-03-08T19:52:54Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Only one track, then. Its content a procession of chords, while an ethereal voice adds some supplementary atmosphere. Additional to that something like sound samples appear over the course of the track, which in the end wakes memories on the preceding "Weaving a Basket". Though while a continuation of an established idea appears to be the basic concept in terms of the atmosphere, the expression itself differs to some degree. As written above there is a procession of chords and it is up to the guitars to express these. Strangely enough those unmistakable and clear sounds work as a fix point in terms of how the music is perceived. Unlike on the preceding release, whose title indicated an act of crafting, this one points towards the opposite, as it is indicated by the title. All is surprisingly clear and bereft of layers of obscurity. There is the play of the guitar, there are vocals, there are the sound elements, there is the cover artwork and its unmistakable expression of direction and there are the lyrics, which follow in line what had been written before. It is such a gentle get-together that it is somehow mandatory, especially from the point of view of reviewer, to be annoyed by it. This overall banality and straight-forwardness is nothing but a stark deviation from the established routine of Sea Oleena. A gentle touch on the "soul", as some my call it. A nice track, but nothing less. Yet it is an improvement in terms of sound and style compared with the "Weaving a Basket" output. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Sea Oleena]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Independent]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Pop]][[Genre::Experimental]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Genre::Independent]][[Date::2022]][[Review::2022]][[Released::2021]][[Series::2]] </div> 5cc02083f6696fcdc7de3dcefef0f2d175d21f53 14 108 235 2022-03-08T19:44:46Z Adsoluser 1 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 236 235 2022-03-08T19:46:52Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{#ask: [[Category:Sea Oleena]] }} 533b72ce4f718f24fddeb4cf9b86c2b3b2414dd6 237 236 2022-03-08T19:47:36Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{#ask: [[Category:Sea Oleena]] |?Released }} 398888849022caa6bfda28b9091d3f25f23e535e 253 237 2022-03-08T19:52:57Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{#ask: [[Category:Sea Oleena]] |?Released |?Series }} fc2a5c686b303b99d7fa192562285705fe5c70b1 0 109 254 2022-06-04T18:49:30Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} (live) 2022-05-29 -- Kashka - BiMonthly Livestream (Bandcamp) Quite some time since I did a review about a live stream and I do not even know any pr..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (live) 2022-05-29 -- Kashka - BiMonthly Livestream (Bandcamp) Quite some time since I did a review about a live stream and I do not even know any proper reason on why I did not continue writing about these performances, because I attended quite a lot actually, but there you go. Kashka and this would the second performance I attended of her and this time without her wearing a "crown", when I recall correctly the way she described it on the preceding one; gosh, the slips of memory. Her music is nice, calm and intriguing. Driven by her voice and nothing more than a guitar. Sweet melodies, mainly folk in style, but with hints from pop as well. Interestingly enough, one of the tracks had been of a punk variety at some point, but with the help of a musician at a writing session it was changed to something more "mainstream" oriented ... I better leave it at that. Aside from that music to calm down and to enjoy. A lot of nice interaction with the audience, some jokes about user names, stories about seeds, chickens and too many noises from the outside. Yet never discouraged, she continued to perform her music. A nice and charming performance and one should really look forward to the next one. Note: Never do a larger software update prior to the performance, because this is generally a bad idea. And this live stream came with a free release, which is always nice. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Kashka]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Canada]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Alternative]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Genre::Alternative]] [[Band::Kashka]][[Date::2022-05-29]] </div> f5c140361361d4add24d681cd1581190d39c895a 255 254 2022-06-04T18:49:44Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Quite some time since I did a review about a live stream and I do not even know any proper reason on why I did not continue writing about these performances, because I attended quite a lot actually, but there you go. Kashka and this would the second performance I attended of her and this time without her wearing a "crown", when I recall correctly the way she described it on the preceding one; gosh, the slips of memory. Her music is nice, calm and intriguing. Driven by her voice and nothing more than a guitar. Sweet melodies, mainly folk in style, but with hints from pop as well. Interestingly enough, one of the tracks had been of a punk variety at some point, but with the help of a musician at a writing session it was changed to something more "mainstream" oriented ... I better leave it at that. Aside from that music to calm down and to enjoy. A lot of nice interaction with the audience, some jokes about user names, stories about seeds, chickens and too many noises from the outside. Yet never discouraged, she continued to perform her music. A nice and charming performance and one should really look forward to the next one. Note: Never do a larger software update prior to the performance, because this is generally a bad idea. And this live stream came with a free release, which is always nice. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Kashka]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Canada]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Alternative]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Genre::Alternative]] [[Band::Kashka]][[Date::2022-05-29]] </div> 6b02358307544a52fe3a1c70a34ebba51953b186 0 110 256 2022-06-08T14:49:26Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} No, this is not the happy train into some Ghibli-esque anime dream world that has become "flesh". Instead what we have here is the idea of hopping on..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} No, this is not the happy train into some Ghibli-esque anime dream world that has become "flesh". Instead what we have here is the idea of hopping on a train, experiencing something -- apparently indicated by the playful though monotonous tune with a slight texture in the background -- and then its derailment and death of everyone onboard. How should one understand the sudden and abrupt end of the track? Did someone failed to throw some coins into a music generator, whereby its mechanism is forced to an immediate stop at some point? Somehow unconvincing. Comes with two sample tracks. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2021]] </div> 9d8b44b6c55fe385001bc44aee38ffcfffd55193 0 111 257 2022-06-08T14:49:55Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Waves. Raw. Unaltered. Though not pure in sound. A humming sound, something else, something distant. An inescapable other, a boat, a motor, nature an..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Waves. Raw. Unaltered. Though not pure in sound. A humming sound, something else, something distant. An inescapable other, a boat, a motor, nature anno domini. Aso, the opener, presents it manipulated. Presents it in a different setting. A droning sphere. A relocation of what is not pure any more, appears to be a distant visage of its own existence. The cover is clear in its lack of clarity. A juxtaposition of sounds and rhythm that at its core are alien to each other. The hollow melodic elements impose itself only to be washed away. They appear to comment, appear to tell something, but in the end they are list in the vagueness of and density of the waves. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2021]] </div> 490604c63117a3b008f9a5e09ef17cac2e1a1f3b 258 257 2022-06-08T14:50:35Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Waves. Raw. Unaltered. Though not pure in sound. A humming sound, something else, something distant. An inescapable other, a boat, a motor, nature anno domini. Aso, the opener, presents it manipulated. Presents it in a different setting. A droning sphere. A relocation of what is not pure any more, appears to be a distant visage of its own existence. The cover is clear in its lack of clarity. A juxtaposition of sounds and rhythm that at its core are alien to each other. The hollow melodic elements impose itself only to be washed away. They appear to comment, appear to tell something, but in the end they are list in the vagueness of and density of the waves. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2022]] </div> d03f879a42d24761bc84d9f70b16b1a8d7ca4459 0 110 259 256 2022-06-08T14:50:55Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} No, this is not the happy train into some Ghibli-esque anime dream world that has become "flesh". Instead what we have here is the idea of hopping on a train, experiencing something -- apparently indicated by the playful though monotonous tune with a slight texture in the background -- and then its derailment and death of everyone onboard. How should one understand the sudden and abrupt end of the track? Did someone failed to throw some coins into a music generator, whereby its mechanism is forced to an immediate stop at some point? Somehow unconvincing. Comes with two sample tracks. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Yuri Urano]][[Category:Drone]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Field Recording]][[Category:2021]][[Category:Japan]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2021]][[Genre::Drone]][[Genre::Field Recording]][[Genre::Ambient]][[Date::2022]] </div> 6682bd83cb5969e3d4ca1962732ec18b08cb6632 0 1 260 210 2022-06-08T14:52:12Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. My Podcast: https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 6998ba10c806e7c92f5886e384179aff8a703344 261 260 2022-06-08T14:52:41Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 7c2d9d79fb52abc8c8a64e35aab1d658a696d9c1 273 261 2022-07-02T19:25:46Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=Creation date |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} f78de5f2be0f3ffa803a6098b9733f4605c204db 274 273 2022-07-02T19:26:21Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Creation date |order=desc |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} b55f2b7c09f5ee211259fd62e7f1ae05885b366c 275 274 2022-07-02T19:27:15Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Creation date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 9b1f470df300b6395337baff79f5a48541c9b698 276 275 2022-07-02T19:27:25Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 7c2d9d79fb52abc8c8a64e35aab1d658a696d9c1 277 276 2022-07-24T07:03:08Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 25a079104daa0ad8dec59ba6ea9259c3bff8e557 292 277 2022-08-15T15:55:33Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Festivals]] |mainlabel=Festival |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} ef9d1316d5da3726300659eeda28c9d9ecbb2f65 293 292 2022-08-15T15:56:00Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Festival]] |mainlabel=Festival |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} 8041c8040fd4dc053bd3a4330256a4d72fc2d0d1 295 293 2022-08-15T15:59:47Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {| class="wikitable" |+ |-style="vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" |Review and interview requests, comments, questions, hate mail and whatnot can be send to oneyoudontknow at posteo dot net or check out my [https://www.metal-archives.com/users/oneyoudontknow profile/reviews] at the Metal Archives. <b>My Podcast:</b><br> https://adsolmag.bandcamp.com/ Thank you |The great logo had been done by '''woelve''', whose works and contact address you can find [https://web.archive.org/web/20181112070530/http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=111878 here] |All the material that had been posted at the Internet Archive will be moved to this site over time. For now all of the material can be found [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22a+dead+spot+of+light%22 here] |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Festival]] |mainlabel=Festival |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |+ |- style="vertical-align:top;" | {{#ask: [[Category:Review]] |mainlabel=Reviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Interview]] |mainlabel=Interviews |?Genre |?Year |sort=Year |order=descending |limit=50 }} |{{#ask: [[Category:Bandcamp_Live]] |mainlabel=Bandcamp Live |?Band |?Genre |?Year |sort=Date |order=descending |limit=50 }} |} fbac34b1c858d08265086543c6182f7f83be60d9 0 112 262 2022-06-08T15:37:20Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} The second demo of the Québécois funeral doom metal band contains one track of roughly sixteen minutes. In style it is basic. Basic in the sense th..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} The second demo of the Québécois funeral doom metal band contains one track of roughly sixteen minutes. In style it is basic. Basic in the sense that there are no keyboards, no filler, no nice breaks or other stuff that would help to spark some interest in returning to this piece once it is over. Raw in sound and style, slightly unbalanced and thereby favouring the drums to some extent, Longévité, a one person project, performs the music in a simple and down to the Earth style. The eponymous track of the release opens in a particular kind of way, progresses in a certain kind of way and ends in this one particular kind of way. Hardly anything surprising happens in this track and it somehow feels as if this one piece could go on for much longer and it would hardly matter and hardly anyone would care. The music is a style that had been done to death a million times. A riff plays, is allowed to linger, then some drums, and at times some vocals. On and on it goes. Bereft of any fascinating element, bereft of any new ideas. When starting the review the score had been at 55, but after pondering more and more about the music, 40 appears to be appropriate. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Longévité]][[Category:Funeral Doom Metal]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Canada]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Funeral Doom Metal]][[Date::2022]] </div> 4b143e5eee1eb033a7e302b17cfaa0271bb44560 0 113 263 2022-06-08T17:09:26Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} What can be expected from a funeral doom metal album? Ovid's Amores? Hardly. It somehow feels unnecessary to fall back on this topic. Sadly, this asp..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} What can be expected from a funeral doom metal album? Ovid's Amores? Hardly. It somehow feels unnecessary to fall back on this topic. Sadly, this aspect is not limited to the album title, because also the opener points into this direction. Anyway. The debut ep of the Romanian funeral doom metal band is solid. Solid in the sense that it does not suck that much, but nothing more than solid because it fails to leave something tangible and fascinating. At least the atmosphere is not bad and has some nice moments, but this aspect alone is not enough to keep it moving along. And this is somewhat sad, because the first minutes of this release are actually promising. The build-up is nice, the use of the violin adds a nice nuance to the sound and also the vocals fit into the overall setup. Sadly, the longer the track progresses the more it appears to loose a bit of its focus and is unable to maintain that with which it has opened. There is nothing else to maintain it, there is nothing to keep it all up and the music moves therefore slightly into the realm of blandness. As can be expected, some slight flaws in the production add their share to this impression. Nevertheless, the idea of this atmospheric approach is rather nice. "Oblivion's Fall", the second and last track is only a very schematic piece of funeral doom metal and creates the impression as if it would fall into the narration trap. Too many vocals, too large a focus on them at times and this odd slow narration type, which sets the mood and dynamics. While Athvarf attempts to invoke some of the atmosphere of the first track, it is not able to do so on such a degree in this case. Some nice ideas can be found on this release, but they need polishing in order to get them to shine and leave a mark. While it may be the band's first ep, parts of it are actually not that bad. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Athvarf]][[Category:Funeral Doom Metal]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Romania]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Funeral Doom Metal]][[Date::2022]] </div> 1962e8b516fab38db44a620b9277d730d28502f2 0 114 264 2022-06-08T18:57:24Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} "Twilight of the Funebre Night" is some kind of funeral doom metal party music. It offers you nice ideas here and there, which together may want to g..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} "Twilight of the Funebre Night" is some kind of funeral doom metal party music. It offers you nice ideas here and there, which together may want to give one an incentive to return to this release now and then. There is the opener for instance. Those odd psychedelic keyboards add a nice touch to his track, but sadly, these are limited to the beginning and the end of the track. This aspect of an addendum is not uncommon in a lot of "extreme" metal bands, when it comes to enrich their music on one way or another, but it leaves the rest of the music in a somewhat awkward situation, because at times the rest of the track struggles to offer something similar to the first minute or so. The evocation of a sacral or "horror-movie inspired" atmosphere adds a nice touch to the music, but not much more. Exhumation's music suffers to some extent from the approach of having too many lyrics or rather, because in terms of the funeral doom metal metal scene even a limited amount of texts can be stretched over a considerable time-frame, with the obvious effect that the noise texture aka voice makes up a good portion of the track. Nice counterpoints to this are rare, but they can be found in nuances in either of the tracks. Leaving this aside, the intensity of the vocals is actually able to add something to the performance. This particular kind of growling fits well to the overall atmosphere of the tracks. Furthermore, the additional ones in "Funereal emanation", even though they are limited in length, add a nice touch to this track. What needs to be emphasized are the drums. Their thudding sound adds something to this release. As do the rest of the instruments by the way. Maybe the production could be a bit more cavernous, a bit stranger and dirtier and therefore more intense, but this comes all down to personal preferences. Which is also reflected in the score. There are a lot of nice facets in these three tracks, but it feels as if more could be achieved with these elements that can be found on this ep. More variation, more daringness in the song-writing and the like could help this band. Like in the "Tears in the burial ground" for instance. The guitar part in the middle creates a nice diversion from the overall progression of the music. A nice first release. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Review]][[Category:Exhumation]][[Category:Funeral Doom Metal]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Spain]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]][[Genre::Funeral Doom Metal]][[Date::2022]] </div> 1fb6b70d4d5ed2488831e93a12875a6030e0c084 0 115 265 2022-06-10T18:16:21Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} To write about a pre-recorded session is all too often like eating refrozen gelato. It simply is not the same and due to the way ice crystals will ha..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} To write about a pre-recorded session is all too often like eating refrozen gelato. It simply is not the same and due to the way ice crystals will have found their way into the smoothness of the ice cream. There is simply a lack in pleasure in this regard and it is rather cumbersome than anything else. Yet there are moments, when this is not much of an issue, because the treat happens to be more of a sorbet for instance, which by itself is more icy and less creamy. You can still experience those slight nuisances, but these can remain hidden under the layers of other textures and tastes. Which brings us to the topic at hand. The stream this review deals with, had been pre-recorded and it is nice that the band had been rather upfront about it; which is not always the case on Bandcamp. Yet instead of offering the insatiable audience an old icy and crystal-ridden desert from the back row, they treated them to a dramatic exploration of the creation of the album Seafoam, with some accompanying music in between. It was therefore a juxtaposition of anxiously devouring these cold desserts in those moments of suspenseful narration, while the musical counterpoints offered breaks of brief relaxation and contemplation or restocking of the ice-cream comfort food. Indeed, there was no sugar-coating taking place and the bitter taste had to be endured as the narration revealed how all took place and came to be. Life! So in the end, it was an amalgam of contemplation and enjoyment. Sugar-induced hallucinations and ecstatic punk-driven exaltations. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Cultdreams]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Punk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Punk]] [[Band::Cultdreams]][[Date::2022-06-09]] </div> 5b1a001286afa3950225a6c7363a7f7453014603 0 116 266 2022-06-12T17:35:41Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Over 140 people attending a stream at Bandcamp and showering the band with praises once the end of the performance has been reached, is basically all..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Over 140 people attending a stream at Bandcamp and showering the band with praises once the end of the performance has been reached, is basically all you need to say. "The Infinity Room" was originally released in 2016 and it has received a new interpretation and this is what the stream is about. The music is a vast complex bombardment of ambient and soundscape textures. Along with this Winamp, yes Winamp, oscilloscope visuals were used to add something to the performance. The only sad thing is that the music was not readily available for purchase. Aside from that a great performance could be experienced. The band did not charge anything for the stream, which was a nice gesture. s. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:36]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Soundscapes]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Soundscapes]] [[Band::36]][[Date::2022-06-10]] </div> c0fce3a596bea09402b7065ca29929aee038e29e 270 266 2022-06-15T17:32:19Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Over 140 people attending a stream at Bandcamp and showering the band with praises once the end of the performance has been reached, is basically all you need to say. "The Infinity Room" was originally released in 2016 and it has received a new interpretation and this is what the stream is about. The music is a vast complex bombardment of ambient and soundscape textures. Along with this Winamp, yes Winamp, oscilloscope visuals were used to add something to the performance. The only sad thing is that the music was not readily available for purchase. Aside from that a great performance could be experienced. The band did not charge anything for the stream, which was a nice gesture. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:36]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Soundscapes]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Soundscapes]] [[Band::36]][[Date::2022-06-10]] </div> fe64fbc5100a077d9f9f7e4c4b882fabfd3ee121 0 117 267 2022-06-12T17:39:17Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Another day, another live stream it seems. This time another reinterpretation, but the style in sound and visuals was different to the 36 on the prev..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Another day, another live stream it seems. This time another reinterpretation, but the style in sound and visuals was different to the 36 on the previous day. Also, one had to buy a ticket in this case and even though it was not particularly cheap, the overall length as well as the quality of the performance made up for this. More beats, more samples, more vocals and less dreamy or rather a different kind of atmosphere. Really worth the time and a great experience. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:The bvdub Brock Van Wey]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:USA]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::The bvdub Brock Van Wey]][[Date::2022-06-12]] </div> 8e4f53a73036535b3652001462c5829f44a96570 268 267 2022-06-12T17:39:32Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Another day, another live stream it seems. This time another reinterpretation, but the style in sound and visuals was different to the 36 on the previous day. Also, one had to buy a ticket in this case and even though it was not particularly cheap, the overall length as well as the quality of the performance made up for this. More beats, more samples, more vocals and less dreamy or rather a different kind of atmosphere. Really worth the time and a great experience. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:The bvdub Brock Van Wey]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:USA]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::The bvdub Brock Van Wey]][[Date::2022-06-11]] </div> 087e48ce0b74bb0d4333a1522b73c3592ff518c1 0 118 269 2022-06-15T17:32:13Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} A square room. Long greyish curtains on either side. Tables. Chairs. A bass. A laptop. Equipment. That is it. That is what we see through the camera...." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} A square room. Long greyish curtains on either side. Tables. Chairs. A bass. A laptop. Equipment. That is it. That is what we see through the camera. To see dance used as an element to support the music is a welcome addition and in this case a single female dancer added a performance to the minimalist sounds of the band. At times she would use a glowing lamb in an otherwise dark room, at other she would place in somewhere in the room and move around without it. This support of movement an illumination added something nice to the music. More colours would have been nice. Aside from this visual element, the music itself is minimalist, as can be expected from an ambient performance. Two musicians made an appearance Hajime Totani ((fretless?) bass) and Waki (Synthesizer). Calm melodies, extensive song-structures, dreamy sounds. Two tracks, an overall length of roughly an hour with a small break in between in which the band elaborated a bit on the project and the background of the performance. Waki informed the audience about how he was granted this space to work on this projects, which are generally streamed on Youtube, but for this occasion Bandcamp was used. The second of the tracks was more of a droning kind and had much more reverb than the first one. Either of the tracks have some short moments in which the music has beats and a slight hint of dynamics, which is really nice. The event took place in the Kyoto Art Center. The attendees also received a free release. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Drone Tribe]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Drone]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Drone]] [[Band::Drone Tribe]][[Date::2022-06-15]] </div> 5cba12317d185249c8ac75f2cb60d3d756e3751c 0 119 271 2022-06-25T06:18:37Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} This is actually the first time that I write a review about a live stream that I was only able to attend its initial premiere. The reason I put down..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} This is actually the first time that I write a review about a live stream that I was only able to attend its initial premiere. The reason I put down these words has to do with the topic and how it presents something rarely found on Bandcamp. Here music is a score to a movie, which was created a couple of years ago. The basic setting: Directed by Marc Gouby Produced by TAKAKROIR Productions Music composed by Michel-ange MERINO What we see or experience are images of commuters. Commuters not anywhere in the world, but in Japan and as some may know, it can be a rather intense experience to travel in this country via tube or train as these can be rather crowded and loaded up to the maximum with people. Strangely enough this extreme aspect, the somewhat forcefully shoving of persons into trains, is missing in this video, but the images are nevertheless striking and are able to good impression of how commuting take place can be there. The images are distorted, increased in speed and return to normal -- interestingly enough there is never a slow down --, switches in the flow appear between moving forward and backwards. As such it is not like in the opening scene of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times", but rather a confusing, yet appropriately so, flood of images and impressions. The chaos that is underpinning the nature of this societal to and fro is brought to a confusing bravado, which makes it even more incomprehensible and attempts to aggravate the schism between the normal live of a human being and the existence in a modern society. People yawn, fall asleep, appear worn out, etc. While glimpses of harmonious conversation can be found, the overarching impression is one of exhaustion. What is of interest in terms of the stream is how the music or the sounds support the visual expressions. Of course some extreme noise harmonics can be imagined, something to express the weirdness of the images and the confusing set of to and fro. All this different in this case though. Somehow the music appears to be a supplement to the dynamics. Moments of trains are supported by appropriate noises, while the ebbs and flows of people have either field recordings -- steps, the sound in a station -- and minimalist and repetitive short musical motifs. The staccato of steps that one might imagine to appear where the movie was recorded are absent. It is rather a tuned down and minimalist approach, whose intention is rather to mimic and present than to represent. Somehow the music adds context to the images, which is good and bad. It reminds on a ballet, as classical music of some sort was used for the movie, but played too fast. This of course underlines the general dynamic present there. It is an interesting experience and also the visuals are something worth pondering about. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Michel-ange MERINO]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Michel-ange MERINO]][[Date::2022-06-22]] </div> dff7a169677468540ade36f6d7793902dcf96512 272 271 2022-06-25T06:18:53Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} This is actually the first time that I write a review about a live stream that I was only able to attend its initial premiere. The reason I put down these words has to do with the topic and how it presents something rarely found on Bandcamp. Here music is a score to a movie, which was created a couple of years ago. The basic setting:<br /> Directed by Marc Gouby<br /> Produced by TAKAKROIR Productions <br /> Music composed by Michel-ange MERINO<br /> What we see or experience are images of commuters. Commuters not anywhere in the world, but in Japan and as some may know, it can be a rather intense experience to travel in this country via tube or train as these can be rather crowded and loaded up to the maximum with people. Strangely enough this extreme aspect, the somewhat forcefully shoving of persons into trains, is missing in this video, but the images are nevertheless striking and are able to good impression of how commuting take place can be there. The images are distorted, increased in speed and return to normal -- interestingly enough there is never a slow down --, switches in the flow appear between moving forward and backwards. As such it is not like in the opening scene of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times", but rather a confusing, yet appropriately so, flood of images and impressions. The chaos that is underpinning the nature of this societal to and fro is brought to a confusing bravado, which makes it even more incomprehensible and attempts to aggravate the schism between the normal live of a human being and the existence in a modern society. People yawn, fall asleep, appear worn out, etc. While glimpses of harmonious conversation can be found, the overarching impression is one of exhaustion. What is of interest in terms of the stream is how the music or the sounds support the visual expressions. Of course some extreme noise harmonics can be imagined, something to express the weirdness of the images and the confusing set of to and fro. All this different in this case though. Somehow the music appears to be a supplement to the dynamics. Moments of trains are supported by appropriate noises, while the ebbs and flows of people have either field recordings -- steps, the sound in a station -- and minimalist and repetitive short musical motifs. The staccato of steps that one might imagine to appear where the movie was recorded are absent. It is rather a tuned down and minimalist approach, whose intention is rather to mimic and present than to represent. Somehow the music adds context to the images, which is good and bad. It reminds on a ballet, as classical music of some sort was used for the movie, but played too fast. This of course underlines the general dynamic present there. It is an interesting experience and also the visuals are something worth pondering about. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Michel-ange MERINO]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Japan]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Michel-ange MERINO]][[Date::2022-06-22]] </div> d21be66d9a78def4f278125bc45c5c4c9ace6f03 0 120 278 2022-07-24T19:09:33Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h Tickets: 5€ Live: no. Prerecorded To quote the band from Bandcamp: <i>The Dresden duo plays their own film music in sync with the s..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h Tickets: 5€ Live: no. Prerecorded To quote the band from Bandcamp: <i>The Dresden duo plays their own film music in sync with the silent film »The New Babylon«. You can hear new compositions as well as special versions of HALO, PYNG, LYKA, 013, 005, 007 and 032. As a guest musician they have invited Marc Hartmann (trombone).</i> Even though it was prerecorded, to be able to watch this silent movie in its 90 minute version along with modern music was a treat indeed. Of course one can debate whether the music amply accentuates and reflects the visual aspects, but to approach this from a modern aspect also enables us to enrich the score in such a way impossible during the time of the film's original release; which was 1929[1]. Sadly, the window of 48 hours to rewatch the stream passed without ever doing so, which makes it difficult to properly and comprehensively write about the music and the film. Nevertheless, some parts can be remembered. Electronic sounds, drums and a trombone were used to create the atmosphere and lead the listener through the film. A wide variety of expressions and sounds were conveyed, but these might be different from what a viewer might expect. The best example is the marching of troops at some stage and the reviewer expected something in character to what Ottorino Respighi composed in the piece "I Pini della Via Appia" or some kind of march music. This reluctance to fall back to the immediate at this point and to use the music as some kind of a comment on the visual elements made it clear to the writer that the band appeared to have approached this rather large task of writing a score not only with a certain mindset, but with some kind of liberty as well. Whether this is good or bad and how the music deviates from some of the imagery and its intended meaning is difficult to write about after only one viewing and without taking any notes. The music was good, had catchy elements and was quite interesting. Sadly, the music played through the concert is not available separate from the live stream, which is somewhat annoying, but there maybe a special reason behind it. It would be interesting to hear the original score and then compare it to this modern approach of it and check it for similarities. The New Babylon is a film that sheds a light on an era that a lot of people might have forgotten to at least some extent, but whose premise is strikingly up to date with what we deal with and what we should discuss right now; the entire issue of the Paris Commune[2] of 1871 could easily be discussed not only from today's perspective but also in comparison to our own situation right now. If you have a chance to watch the film, then do so. Søjus1's performance and approach to this film is really interesting and hopefully there will be more opportunities to watch it on Bandcamp in the future. Notes: 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_New_Babylon&oldid=1095672747 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Søjus1]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Søjus1]] [[Date::2022-07-21]] </div> dd0f4a0a2cce3093fdb657495321ab82276a5df9 279 278 2022-07-24T19:09:55Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h Tickets: 5€ Live: no. Prerecorded To quote the band from Bandcamp: <i>The Dresden duo plays their own film music in sync with the silent film »The New Babylon«. You can hear new compositions as well as special versions of HALO, PYNG, LYKA, 013, 005, 007 and 032. As a guest musician they have invited Marc Hartmann (trombone).</i> Even though it was prerecorded, to be able to watch this silent movie in its 90 minute version along with modern music was a treat indeed. Of course one can debate whether the music amply accentuates and reflects the visual aspects, but to approach this from a modern aspect also enables us to enrich the score in such a way impossible during the time of the film's original release; which was 1929[1]. Sadly, the window of 48 hours to rewatch the stream passed without ever doing so, which makes it difficult to properly and comprehensively write about the music and the film. Nevertheless, some parts can be remembered. Electronic sounds, drums and a trombone were used to create the atmosphere and lead the listener through the film. A wide variety of expressions and sounds were conveyed, but these might be different from what a viewer might expect. The best example is the marching of troops at some stage and the reviewer expected something in character to what Ottorino Respighi composed in the piece "I Pini della Via Appia" or some kind of march music. This reluctance to fall back to the immediate at this point and to use the music as some kind of a comment on the visual elements made it clear to the writer that the band appeared to have approached this rather large task of writing a score not only with a certain mindset, but with some kind of liberty as well. Whether this is good or bad and how the music deviates from some of the imagery and its intended meaning is difficult to write about after only one viewing and without taking any notes. The music was good, had catchy elements and was quite interesting. Sadly, the music played through the concert is not available separate from the live stream, which is somewhat annoying, but there maybe a special reason behind it. It would be interesting to hear the original score and then compare it to this modern approach of it and check it for similarities. The New Babylon is a film that sheds a light on an era that a lot of people might have forgotten to at least some extent, but whose premise is strikingly up to date with what we deal with and what we should discuss right now; the entire issue of the Paris Commune[2] of 1871 could easily be discussed not only from today's perspective but also in comparison to our own situation right now. If you have a chance to watch the film, then do so. Søjus1's performance and approach to this film is really interesting and hopefully there will be more opportunities to watch it on Bandcamp in the future. Notes: 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_New_Babylon&oldid=1095672747 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Søjus1]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Søjus1]] [[Date::2022-07-21]] </div> a5e0a80cdd97e77f44db90ab4dc1708502841361 280 279 2022-07-24T19:10:06Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h Tickets: 5€ Live: no. Prerecorded To quote the band from Bandcamp: <i>The Dresden duo plays their own film music in sync with the silent film »The New Babylon«. You can hear new compositions as well as special versions of HALO, PYNG, LYKA, 013, 005, 007 and 032. As a guest musician they have invited Marc Hartmann (trombone).</i> Even though it was prerecorded, to be able to watch this silent movie in its 90 minute version along with modern music was a treat indeed. Of course one can debate whether the music amply accentuates and reflects the visual aspects, but to approach this from a modern aspect also enables us to enrich the score in such a way impossible during the time of the film's original release; which was 1929[1]. Sadly, the window of 48 hours to rewatch the stream passed without ever doing so, which makes it difficult to properly and comprehensively write about the music and the film. Nevertheless, some parts can be remembered. Electronic sounds, drums and a trombone were used to create the atmosphere and lead the listener through the film. A wide variety of expressions and sounds were conveyed, but these might be different from what a viewer might expect. The best example is the marching of troops at some stage and the reviewer expected something in character to what Ottorino Respighi composed in the piece "I Pini della Via Appia" or some kind of march music. This reluctance to fall back to the immediate at this point and to use the music as some kind of a comment on the visual elements made it clear to the writer that the band appeared to have approached this rather large task of writing a score not only with a certain mindset, but with some kind of liberty as well. Whether this is good or bad and how the music deviates from some of the imagery and its intended meaning is difficult to write about after only one viewing and without taking any notes. The music was good, had catchy elements and was quite interesting. Sadly, the music played through the concert is not available separate from the live stream, which is somewhat annoying, but there maybe a special reason behind it. It would be interesting to hear the original score and then compare it to this modern approach of it and check it for similarities. The New Babylon is a film that sheds a light on an era that a lot of people might have forgotten to at least some extent, but whose premise is strikingly up to date with what we deal with and what we should discuss right now; the entire issue of the Paris Commune[2] of 1871 could easily be discussed not only from today's perspective but also in comparison to our own situation right now. If you have a chance to watch the film, then do so. Søjus1's performance and approach to this film is really interesting and hopefully there will be more opportunities to watch it on Bandcamp in the future. Notes: 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_New_Babylon&oldid=1095672747 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Søjus1]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Søjus1]] [[Date::2022-07-21]] </div> c4d4b5922871b0a05b66002bd57d9d0e7e79704f 281 280 2022-07-24T19:10:36Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h Tickets: 5€ Live: no. Prerecorded To quote the band from Bandcamp: <i>The Dresden duo plays their own film music in sync with the silent film »The New Babylon«. You can hear new compositions as well as special versions of HALO, PYNG, LYKA, 013, 005, 007 and 032. As a guest musician they have invited Marc Hartmann (trombone).</i> Even though it was prerecorded, to be able to watch this silent movie in its 90 minute version along with modern music was a treat indeed. Of course one can debate whether the music amply accentuates and reflects the visual aspects, but to approach this from a modern aspect also enables us to enrich the score in such a way impossible during the time of the film's original release; which was 1929[1]. Sadly, the window of 48 hours to rewatch the stream passed without ever doing so, which makes it difficult to properly and comprehensively write about the music and the film. Nevertheless, some parts can be remembered. Electronic sounds, drums and a trombone were used to create the atmosphere and lead the listener through the film. A wide variety of expressions and sounds were conveyed, but these might be different from what a viewer might expect. The best example is the marching of troops at some stage and the reviewer expected something in character to what Ottorino Respighi composed in the piece "I Pini della Via Appia" or some kind of march music. This reluctance to fall back to the immediate at this point and to use the music as some kind of a comment on the visual elements made it clear to the writer that the band appeared to have approached this rather large task of writing a score not only with a certain mindset, but with some kind of liberty as well. Whether this is good or bad and how the music deviates from some of the imagery and its intended meaning is difficult to write about after only one viewing and without taking any notes. The music was good, had catchy elements and was quite interesting. Sadly, the music played through the concert is not available separate from the live stream, which is somewhat annoying, but there maybe a special reason behind it. It would be interesting to hear the original score and then compare it to this modern approach of it and check it for similarities. The New Babylon is a film that sheds a light on an era that a lot of people might have forgotten to at least some extent, but whose premise is strikingly up to date with what we deal with and what we should discuss right now; the entire issue of the Paris Commune[2] of 1871 could easily be discussed not only from today's perspective but also in comparison to our own situation right now. If you have a chance to watch the film, then do so. Søjus1's performance and approach to this film is really interesting and hopefully there will be more opportunities to watch it on Bandcamp in the future. <b>Notes:</b><br/> 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_New_Babylon&oldid=1095672747 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Søjus1]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Søjus1]] [[Date::2022-07-21]] </div> 9855b63c89f7718a1ac25c121c3507bc79af3e91 282 281 2022-07-24T19:10:49Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h<br/> Tickets: 5€<br/> Live: no. Prerecorded<br/> To quote the band from Bandcamp: <i>The Dresden duo plays their own film music in sync with the silent film »The New Babylon«. You can hear new compositions as well as special versions of HALO, PYNG, LYKA, 013, 005, 007 and 032. As a guest musician they have invited Marc Hartmann (trombone).</i> Even though it was prerecorded, to be able to watch this silent movie in its 90 minute version along with modern music was a treat indeed. Of course one can debate whether the music amply accentuates and reflects the visual aspects, but to approach this from a modern aspect also enables us to enrich the score in such a way impossible during the time of the film's original release; which was 1929[1]. Sadly, the window of 48 hours to rewatch the stream passed without ever doing so, which makes it difficult to properly and comprehensively write about the music and the film. Nevertheless, some parts can be remembered. Electronic sounds, drums and a trombone were used to create the atmosphere and lead the listener through the film. A wide variety of expressions and sounds were conveyed, but these might be different from what a viewer might expect. The best example is the marching of troops at some stage and the reviewer expected something in character to what Ottorino Respighi composed in the piece "I Pini della Via Appia" or some kind of march music. This reluctance to fall back to the immediate at this point and to use the music as some kind of a comment on the visual elements made it clear to the writer that the band appeared to have approached this rather large task of writing a score not only with a certain mindset, but with some kind of liberty as well. Whether this is good or bad and how the music deviates from some of the imagery and its intended meaning is difficult to write about after only one viewing and without taking any notes. The music was good, had catchy elements and was quite interesting. Sadly, the music played through the concert is not available separate from the live stream, which is somewhat annoying, but there maybe a special reason behind it. It would be interesting to hear the original score and then compare it to this modern approach of it and check it for similarities. The New Babylon is a film that sheds a light on an era that a lot of people might have forgotten to at least some extent, but whose premise is strikingly up to date with what we deal with and what we should discuss right now; the entire issue of the Paris Commune[2] of 1871 could easily be discussed not only from today's perspective but also in comparison to our own situation right now. If you have a chance to watch the film, then do so. Søjus1's performance and approach to this film is really interesting and hopefully there will be more opportunities to watch it on Bandcamp in the future. <b>Notes:</b><br/> 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_New_Babylon&oldid=1095672747 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Søjus1]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Score]][[Category:Movie]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Movie]] [[Genre::Score]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Søjus1]] [[Date::2022-07-21]] </div> d6f6349b5ccdd88d84bbd7105182a6de20f9e623 0 121 283 2022-07-24T19:20:33Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:20h Tickets: 10AUS$ Live: yes It is 8 o'clock in the morning in Germany, when this concert takes place. Well, what else do you want to do..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:20h Tickets: 10AUS$ Live: yes It is 8 o'clock in the morning in Germany, when this concert takes place. Well, what else do you want to do on a Sunday? Sleep in? Why not attend a live stream of a band from Australia? Pink. This is what you see when you are on the Bandcamp profile of the band. Pink background. Pink album covers. Pink CDs and the latest item in the merch section of the profile is a pink t-shirt with dark pink lettering on it. Yep, it is pop music with a considerable amount of bubble-gum and sugar in it. Right. Well, the overall live setting has also a tinge of pink to it. Somewhat surprising she, Xani, is not throwing around bubble-gum and sugar cubes throughout the performance. Only slightly disappointing though. A small side note: this review will also mention Justin. Is it right to make jokes about this band? Of course. Why? Well, the performance was so outrageously good and enjoyable that the reviewer is happy to not live anywhere close to the band's origin, which means that any chance of actually attending a live performance is thankfully out of the question; as someone with a broad metal music background one cannot be too careful. Glimpses into this rose-tinged world is fine, but a full dive into their realm is out of the question. The setting is as follows: a drum kit with triggers, played by Justin, a violin, a small amount of electronic equipment, some kind of rotating stage lights and an incomprehensible blurry neon band logo; whose light is probably pink. After an improv track, in order to get things started, Xani unleashed her approach of "An Inaccurate History of Electronic Dance Music". A lot of good vibes, catchy tunes, pop-song-lyrics and a lot of moving around by Xani. It is so catchy and harmonious as well as drowning in sugar that one can easily image a club dancing along to these tunes. A captivating performance by two musicians who know how to get their kind of music across. Furthermore, she did not forget to interact with the "crowd" in the chat and encouraged some kind of interaction. The time flew by and what better compliment can be given to a band? Even all those moments setting each track up and each of the arrangements up again, never felt like something that was tiring, because to see all of the isolated sounds fall into place was somewhat fascinating. And of course this review will also mention Justin; Justin is important. Should you have a chance to see them, judging from this live stream, this might be a good idea. They are fun. All the money made from the tickets went to Justin the drummer, which means that he was not paid in bubble gum and/or sugar cubes. Good to hear. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Xani]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Sugar]][[Category:Bubble_gum]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Violin]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Genre::Sugar]] [[Genre::Bubble_gum]] [[Genre::Violin]] [[Band::Xani]] [[Date::2022-07-24]] </div> 28847f8b8712ac9c70a408ac7387951232b69fb4 284 283 2022-07-24T19:20:47Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:20h<br /> Tickets: 10AUS$<br /> Live: yes<br /> It is 8 o'clock in the morning in Germany, when this concert takes place. Well, what else do you want to do on a Sunday? Sleep in? Why not attend a live stream of a band from Australia? Pink. This is what you see when you are on the Bandcamp profile of the band. Pink background. Pink album covers. Pink CDs and the latest item in the merch section of the profile is a pink t-shirt with dark pink lettering on it. Yep, it is pop music with a considerable amount of bubble-gum and sugar in it. Right. Well, the overall live setting has also a tinge of pink to it. Somewhat surprising she, Xani, is not throwing around bubble-gum and sugar cubes throughout the performance. Only slightly disappointing though. A small side note: this review will also mention Justin. Is it right to make jokes about this band? Of course. Why? Well, the performance was so outrageously good and enjoyable that the reviewer is happy to not live anywhere close to the band's origin, which means that any chance of actually attending a live performance is thankfully out of the question; as someone with a broad metal music background one cannot be too careful. Glimpses into this rose-tinged world is fine, but a full dive into their realm is out of the question. The setting is as follows: a drum kit with triggers, played by Justin, a violin, a small amount of electronic equipment, some kind of rotating stage lights and an incomprehensible blurry neon band logo; whose light is probably pink. After an improv track, in order to get things started, Xani unleashed her approach of "An Inaccurate History of Electronic Dance Music". A lot of good vibes, catchy tunes, pop-song-lyrics and a lot of moving around by Xani. It is so catchy and harmonious as well as drowning in sugar that one can easily image a club dancing along to these tunes. A captivating performance by two musicians who know how to get their kind of music across. Furthermore, she did not forget to interact with the "crowd" in the chat and encouraged some kind of interaction. The time flew by and what better compliment can be given to a band? Even all those moments setting each track up and each of the arrangements up again, never felt like something that was tiring, because to see all of the isolated sounds fall into place was somewhat fascinating. And of course this review will also mention Justin; Justin is important. Should you have a chance to see them, judging from this live stream, this might be a good idea. They are fun. All the money made from the tickets went to Justin the drummer, which means that he was not paid in bubble gum and/or sugar cubes. Good to hear. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Xani]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Sugar]][[Category:Bubble_gum]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Violin]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Genre::Sugar]] [[Genre::Bubble_gum]] [[Genre::Violin]] [[Band::Xani]] [[Date::2022-07-24]] </div> 88cd28be415ad1a863340dd851b31259a3a1047f 285 284 2022-07-24T19:22:13Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:20h<br /> Tickets: 10AUS$<br /> Live: yes<br /> It was 8 o'clock in the morning in Germany, when this concert took place. Well, what else do you want to do on a Sunday? Sleep in? Why not attend a live stream of a band from Australia? Pink. This is what you see when you are on the Bandcamp profile of the band. Pink background. Pink album covers. Pink CDs and the latest item in the merch section of the profile is a pink t-shirt with dark pink lettering on it. Yep, it is pop music with a considerable amount of bubble-gum and sugar in it. Right. Well, the overall live setting has also a tinge of pink to it. Somewhat surprising she, Xani, is not throwing around bubble-gum and sugar cubes throughout the performance. Only slightly disappointing though. A small side note: this review will also mention Justin. Is it right to make jokes about this band? Of course. Why? Well, the performance was so outrageously good and enjoyable that the reviewer is happy to not live anywhere close to the band's origin, which means that any chance of actually attending a live performance is thankfully out of the question; as someone with a broad metal music background one cannot be too careful. Glimpses into this rose-tinged world is fine, but a full dive into their realm is out of the question. The setting is as follows: a drum kit with triggers, played by Justin, a violin, a small amount of electronic equipment, some kind of rotating stage lights and an incomprehensible blurry neon band logo; whose light is probably pink. After an improv track, in order to get things started, Xani unleashed her approach of "An Inaccurate History of Electronic Dance Music". A lot of good vibes, catchy tunes, pop-song-lyrics and a lot of moving around by Xani. It is so catchy and harmonious as well as drowning in sugar that one can easily image a club dancing along to these tunes. A captivating performance by two musicians who know how to get their kind of music across. Furthermore, she did not forget to interact with the "crowd" in the chat and encouraged some kind of interaction. The time flew by and what better compliment can be given to a band? Even all those moments setting each track up and each of the arrangements up again, never felt like something that was tiring, because to see all of the isolated sounds fall into place was somewhat fascinating. And of course this review will also mention Justin; Justin is important. Should you have a chance to see them, judging from this live stream, this might be a good idea. They are fun. All the money made from the tickets went to Justin the drummer, which means that he was not paid in bubble gum and/or sugar cubes. Good to hear. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Xani]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Sugar]][[Category:Bubble_gum]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Violin]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Genre::Sugar]] [[Genre::Bubble_gum]] [[Genre::Violin]] [[Band::Xani]] [[Date::2022-07-24]] </div> 73e3f894b7ea5375ca9b7ca18b9c6c78329f08ad 286 285 2022-07-25T05:18:26Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:20h<br /> Tickets: 10AUS$<br /> Live: yes<br /> It was 8 o'clock in the morning in Germany, when this concert took place. Well, what else do you want to do on a Sunday? Sleep in? Why not attend a live stream of a band from Australia? Pink. This is what you see when you are on the Bandcamp profile of the band. Pink background. Pink album covers. Pink CDs and the latest item in the merch section of the profile is a pink t-shirt with dark pink lettering on it. Yep, it is pop music with a considerable amount of bubble-gum and sugar in it. Right. Well, the overall live setting has also a tinge of pink to it. Somewhat surprising she, Xani, is not throwing around bubble-gum and sugar cubes throughout the performance. Only slightly disappointing though. A small side note: this review will also mention Justin. Is it right to make jokes about this band? Of course. Why? Well, the performance was so outrageously good and enjoyable that the reviewer is happy to not live anywhere close to the band's origin, which means that any chance of actually attending a live performance is thankfully out of the question; as someone with a broad metal music background one cannot be too careful. Glimpses into this rose-tinged world is fine, but a full dive into their realm is out of the question. The setting is as follows: a drum kit with triggers, played by Justin, a violin, a small amount of electronic equipment, some kind of rotating stage lights and an incomprehensible blurry neon band logo; whose light is probably pink. After an improv track, in order to get things started, Xani unleashed her approach of "An Inaccurate History of Electronic Dance Music". A lot of good vibes, catchy tunes, pop-song-lyrics and a lot of moving around by Xani. It is so catchy and harmonious as well as drowning in sugar that one can easily image a club dancing along to these tunes. A captivating performance by two musicians who know how to get their kind of music across. Furthermore, she did not forget to interact with the "crowd" in the chat and encouraged some kind of interaction. The time flew by and what better compliment can be given to a band? Even all those moments setting each track up and each of the arrangements up again, never felt like something that was tiring, because to see all of the isolated sounds fall into place was somewhat fascinating. And of course this review will also mention Justin; Justin is important. Should you have a chance to see them, judging from this live stream, this might be a good idea. They are fun. All the money made from the tickets went to Justin the drummer, which means that he was not paid in bubble gum and/or sugar cubes. Good to hear. (Those who attended the live stream will get the references to Justin ... hopefully.) {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Xani]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Sugar]][[Category:Bubble_gum]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Violin]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Genre::Sugar]] [[Genre::Bubble_gum]] [[Genre::Violin]] [[Band::Xani]] [[Date::2022-07-24]] </div> e670bd587520671a7199359849300b478ad71044 288 286 2022-07-25T18:23:53Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:20h<br /> Tickets: 10AUS$<br /> Live: yes<br /> Free stuff: yes, the single "Dreaming of You".<br /> It was 8 o'clock in the morning in Germany, when this concert took place. Well, what else do you want to do on a Sunday? Sleep in? Why not attend a live stream of a band from Australia? Pink. This is what you see when you are on the Bandcamp profile of the band. Pink background. Pink album covers. Pink CDs and the latest item in the merch section of the profile is a pink t-shirt with dark pink lettering on it. Yep, it is pop music with a considerable amount of bubble-gum and sugar in it. Right. Well, the overall live setting has also a tinge of pink to it. Somewhat surprising she, Xani, is not throwing around bubble-gum and sugar cubes throughout the performance. Only slightly disappointing though. A small side note: this review will also mention Justin. Is it right to make jokes about this band? Of course. Why? Well, the performance was so outrageously good and enjoyable that the reviewer is happy to not live anywhere close to the band's origin, which means that any chance of actually attending a live performance is thankfully out of the question; as someone with a broad metal music background one cannot be too careful. Glimpses into this rose-tinged world is fine, but a full dive into their realm is out of the question. The setting is as follows: a drum kit with triggers, played by Justin, a violin, a small amount of electronic equipment, some kind of rotating stage lights and an incomprehensible blurry neon band logo; whose light is probably pink. After an improv track, in order to get things started, Xani unleashed her approach of "An Inaccurate History of Electronic Dance Music". A lot of good vibes, catchy tunes, pop-song-lyrics and a lot of moving around by Xani. It is so catchy and harmonious as well as drowning in sugar that one can easily image a club dancing along to these tunes. A captivating performance by two musicians who know how to get their kind of music across. Furthermore, she did not forget to interact with the "crowd" in the chat and encouraged some kind of interaction. The time flew by and what better compliment can be given to a band? Even all those moments setting each track up and each of the arrangements up again, never felt like something that was tiring, because to see all of the isolated sounds fall into place was somewhat fascinating. And of course this review will also mention Justin; Justin is important. Should you have a chance to see them, judging from this live stream, this might be a good idea. They are fun. All the money made from the tickets went to Justin the drummer, which means that he was not paid in bubble gum and/or sugar cubes. Good to hear. (Those who attended the live stream will get the references to Justin ... hopefully.) {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Xani]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Sugar]][[Category:Bubble_gum]][[Category:Experimental]][[Category:Violin]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Genre::Sugar]] [[Genre::Bubble_gum]] [[Genre::Violin]] [[Band::Xani]] [[Date::2022-07-24]] </div> 4019003e53375d067458bec5cce3c0f2e7ad1bb8 0 122 287 2022-07-25T18:19:17Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~0:30h<br /> Tickets: 8£<br /> Live: no. Prerecorded.<br /> A grand piano by Blüthner (Leipzig). Why not. It is definitely something diffe..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~0:30h<br /> Tickets: 8£<br /> Live: no. Prerecorded.<br /> A grand piano by Blüthner (Leipzig). Why not. It is definitely something different. A bouquet of pink roses in a vase is placed on top of it. Two mics can be seen on either side of the instrument. While walls, (*). Minimalism. The music performed this time will appear on a (forthcoming) release called Solo Piano 5 or Five ... either presumably. What the audience is offered is only the sound of the piano. No announcements. No singing. No other instruments. Music at its purest so to speak. Whether interaction should be mandatory is a difficult aspect to answer and arguments can be made for either side. In the end though, it is up to the musician to pick a setting this person is most comfortable with and which reflects the music in the best kind of way. Whether possible preferences from audience should be taken into account beforehand is an even more difficult aspect. It is nice how the motives wander around in the tracks. Are tossed to and fro. At times more adagio, short waves of a crescendo, oscillations around ideas. All follows a rather modern musical pattern. All flows in a nice gentle kind of way. No stark counterpoints, no violent interruptions of the play, no silent moments. It reminds on the type of piano music found in scores quite often. Short spins of ideas, but no grand long composition(s). Six or seven tracks are offered. A good performance. Just a bit too short. (*) It looks like there is an enormous mirror on one side of the wall, but this is guesswork. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Alice Thompson]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Piano]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Piano]] [[Band::Alice Thompson]] [[Date::2022-07-24]] </div> e54978e966c6168b6c06c380e9af502d60d78d90 0 123 289 2022-08-15T15:47:47Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a perfo..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) 19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... 19:00 -- Pyrates I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. 20:30 -- Tortilla Flat Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. 22:00 -- Aqua Marina In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :) 22:00 -- Tripple Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Band::Festival Maritim]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> a3512e3e5c40d1e109537930e997352c4bf1cd0e 290 289 2022-08-15T15:50:48Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) 19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... 19:00 -- Pyrates I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. 20:30 -- Tortilla Flat Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. 22:00 -- Aqua Marina In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :) 22:00 -- Tripple Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Band::Bandcamp Live]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> 95b542d662cb2d6adfb87fa9726da1f0a240a94d 291 290 2022-08-15T15:52:47Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) 19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... 19:00 -- Pyrates I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. 20:30 -- Tortilla Flat Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. 22:00 -- Aqua Marina In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :) 22:00 -- Tripple Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> 988e908f9cbdb9ab6321b237716a44f52bdcff34 298 291 2022-08-15T16:25:39Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) 19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... 19:00 -- Pyrates I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. 20:30 -- Tortilla Flat Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. 22:00 -- Aqua Marina In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :) 22:00 -- Tripple Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Les Souillés de fond de cale]] [[Category:Pyrates]][[Category:Tortilla Flat]][[Category:Aqua Marina]][[Category:Tripple]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> 68745a8b038b03dc85e5063c19c66980ddc873bc 303 298 2022-08-15T16:29:58Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) <strong>19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale</strong> One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... <strong>19:00 -- Pyrates</strong> I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. <strong>20:30 -- Tortilla Flat</strong> Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. <strong>22:00 -- Aqua Marina</strong> In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :) <strong>22:00 -- Tripple</strong> Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Les Souillés de fond de cale]] [[Category:Pyrates]][[Category:Tortilla Flat]][[Category:Aqua Marina]][[Category:Tripple]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> 5a150413153abdbd9a39061aa49ee5d54f5b3654 305 303 2022-08-15T18:24:30Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) <strong>19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale</strong> One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... <strong>19:00 -- Pyrates</strong> I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. <strong>20:30 -- Tortilla Flat</strong> Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. <strong>22:00 -- Aqua Marina</strong> In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band<br/> You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :) <strong>22:00 -- Tripple</strong> Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Les Souillés de fond de cale]] [[Category:Pyrates]][[Category:Tortilla Flat]][[Category:Aqua Marina]][[Category:Tripple]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> b301a6f36edc1dd89cf0bbdba8dc6d4baa4d50a7 306 305 2022-08-15T18:24:51Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) <strong>19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale</strong> One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... <strong>19:00 -- Pyrates</strong> I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. <strong>20:30 -- Tortilla Flat</strong> Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the shin and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They deliver and and deliver and time flies by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. <strong>22:00 -- Aqua Marina</strong> In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band<br/> <i>You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :)</i> <strong>22:00 -- Tripple</strong> Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Les Souillés de fond de cale]] [[Category:Pyrates]][[Category:Tortilla Flat]][[Category:Aqua Marina]][[Category:Tripple]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> c28a423c4e01a0e26ec106b90278c663fbe5c6bb 0 124 294 2022-08-15T15:57:59Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a perfo..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Early in the morning on a Saturday I went to the farmers market in Vegesack in order to buy vegetables for the forthcoming week. Since I had slept a little bit too long, I returned to Vegesack later on in order to get my weekly infusion of coffee. At that time some of the bands would also sing at various locations throughout the precinct and it was there that I had a chance to witness on how Tripple wrapped the local population around their Scottish fingers and encouraged them to a sing-along; of course I immediately hastened my pace and sneaked away behind them. Be it at a Dream Theater or a Rush concert, I would always sing along, but to do this in a precinct and to folk music is out of the question. To say it with Pink Floyd: Run Like Hell. On my way back to the ferry I stumbled over the Polish band Aqua Marina, but I did not question them about the non-performance on prior (Friday) evening. In fact, I merely passed them by and left them to their preparation of singing in the precinct and bringing joy to the local population. 17:00 -- LocTup Together An elderly couple or two elderly persons were the first band that I would properly listen to on this day. Pretty basic stuff. I only stayed for a couple of songs. If you are into somewhat narrative and minimalist shanty folk stuff, then they could be of interest, but with most of the listeners being a bit older, I also felt somewhat out of place and moved on to somewhere else. They talked about the Polish band Za Horyzontem and recommended them for their music and their stage act. Since their next performance would be scheduled quite soon(ish), I made up my mind to give them a try. Interlude ... I went off to a shopping mall to buy myself something to drink ... and on the way I listened to a couple of songs of the performance by Armstrong`s Patent. Shanty stuff. Period. It just does not always work for me. They were good ... at times it feels like, as if you only need to hear one track, in order to have heard them all. ... Interlude 18:30 -- Za Horyzontem Yeah ... no. It is difficult to write about some bands, especially when not more than a few track were listened to. They appear to be a funny and very energetic band. Two female vocalists delivered lyrics in either English or Polish, which was quite good to listen to. The violin player was good as well and it was nice to see the interplay of these three musicians. A bass and an acoustic guitar added some additional sound and volume, while the drummer did his best to get stretch my patience. Mr. Nit-picky is at it again, but the predictable way in which the drum patterns revealed themselves made it a bit difficult for me to enjoy it. Accentuated hitting of the snare drum is a nice thing, but an ever and ever more predictable approach made it slightly tiring. They appeared to be a jolly good bunch, but it did not work for me at this point ... sorry. They are by no means bad, it was just the wrong time and location for me. Maybe I should have had one or two beers. Hell knows. Hell always knows. 19:00 -- Unicorn As can be seen from the time between this band and the one prior to it, it had been a rather short lived attendance by me. Looking back it had been the right decision. Unicorn, a slightly unoriginal band name, were much more in line with what I like and enjoy at that day. Along with Tortilla Flat they had been one of two bands that really made me enjoy this festival. A pleasure to watch, an unbelievably charming performance and some really nice tunes. I sat down, had a beer and enjoyed the performance. Folk and shanty lyrics were on the menu. A violin player, a guitar player and an accordion/double bass player -- as he later told be, he is able to play both instruments at the same time with his accordion; one hand for each -- plus a singer occupied the stage. What had been written about the vocalist of Les Souillés de fond de cale is true in this regard as well, if you have a someone with charisma and a experience to guide the audience through the performance, then such a band will easily garner attention. To have a good voice and vocal range and the ability to use it does not hurt as well. Somewhat in the tradition of English folk in terms of the atmosphere, time flew and the mixture of instrumental and vocal driven parts were really really enjoyable. Sadly the time slots are generally a bit too short and it would have been nice to listen to them a bit more. Fireflies would have been nice. Fireflies filling their air with their mysterious otherworldly gloom. I bought their latest album afterwards, but I do not think that it will be able to live up to their live performance. 20:00 -- Aqua Marina As someone from the coast I am somewhat of a thick head and I do not give up that easily, which means that after the splendid Unicorn performance, I headed towards the supposed place where the "elusive" band from Poland was supposed to make an appearance. ... and there they were. No word about the previous day ... water under the bridge or down the Weser ... anyway. Five voices, choral elements and some short nice songs. They appear to have a certain idea on how to express their kind of music. They increase in voices and complexity the longer the track takes and create an atmosphere by this. Considering that they are able to sing and have good voices, it should have been an easy task to leave a positive impression. But they did not. Maybe it has been the splendid previous performance of Unicorn or the memory from the previous day, it simply did not "click" so to speak. They may be good, but I am not in the position to write about this properly. I left after a couple of songs and headed back home rather early, but had a lovely chat with one of the band members of Unicorn on the ferry that I needed to take in order to cross the river Weser and in order to get home. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-06]] </div> 35b2e0903d11a62e1fea56c2191dd13f9e6aa14a 299 294 2022-08-15T16:27:14Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Early in the morning on a Saturday I went to the farmers market in Vegesack in order to buy vegetables for the forthcoming week. Since I had slept a little bit too long, I returned to Vegesack later on in order to get my weekly infusion of coffee. At that time some of the bands would also sing at various locations throughout the precinct and it was there that I had a chance to witness on how Tripple wrapped the local population around their Scottish fingers and encouraged them to a sing-along; of course I immediately hastened my pace and sneaked away behind them. Be it at a Dream Theater or a Rush concert, I would always sing along, but to do this in a precinct and to folk music is out of the question. To say it with Pink Floyd: Run Like Hell. On my way back to the ferry I stumbled over the Polish band Aqua Marina, but I did not question them about the non-performance on prior (Friday) evening. In fact, I merely passed them by and left them to their preparation of singing in the precinct and bringing joy to the local population. 17:00 -- LocTup Together An elderly couple or two elderly persons were the first band that I would properly listen to on this day. Pretty basic stuff. I only stayed for a couple of songs. If you are into somewhat narrative and minimalist shanty folk stuff, then they could be of interest, but with most of the listeners being a bit older, I also felt somewhat out of place and moved on to somewhere else. They talked about the Polish band Za Horyzontem and recommended them for their music and their stage act. Since their next performance would be scheduled quite soon(ish), I made up my mind to give them a try. Interlude ... I went off to a shopping mall to buy myself something to drink ... and on the way I listened to a couple of songs of the performance by Armstrong`s Patent. Shanty stuff. Period. It just does not always work for me. They were good ... at times it feels like, as if you only need to hear one track, in order to have heard them all. ... Interlude 18:30 -- Za Horyzontem Yeah ... no. It is difficult to write about some bands, especially when not more than a few track were listened to. They appear to be a funny and very energetic band. Two female vocalists delivered lyrics in either English or Polish, which was quite good to listen to. The violin player was good as well and it was nice to see the interplay of these three musicians. A bass and an acoustic guitar added some additional sound and volume, while the drummer did his best to get stretch my patience. Mr. Nit-picky is at it again, but the predictable way in which the drum patterns revealed themselves made it a bit difficult for me to enjoy it. Accentuated hitting of the snare drum is a nice thing, but an ever and ever more predictable approach made it slightly tiring. They appeared to be a jolly good bunch, but it did not work for me at this point ... sorry. They are by no means bad, it was just the wrong time and location for me. Maybe I should have had one or two beers. Hell knows. Hell always knows. 19:00 -- Unicorn As can be seen from the time between this band and the one prior to it, it had been a rather short lived attendance by me. Looking back it had been the right decision. Unicorn, a slightly unoriginal band name, were much more in line with what I like and enjoy at that day. Along with Tortilla Flat they had been one of two bands that really made me enjoy this festival. A pleasure to watch, an unbelievably charming performance and some really nice tunes. I sat down, had a beer and enjoyed the performance. Folk and shanty lyrics were on the menu. A violin player, a guitar player and an accordion/double bass player -- as he later told be, he is able to play both instruments at the same time with his accordion; one hand for each -- plus a singer occupied the stage. What had been written about the vocalist of Les Souillés de fond de cale is true in this regard as well, if you have a someone with charisma and a experience to guide the audience through the performance, then such a band will easily garner attention. To have a good voice and vocal range and the ability to use it does not hurt as well. Somewhat in the tradition of English folk in terms of the atmosphere, time flew and the mixture of instrumental and vocal driven parts were really really enjoyable. Sadly the time slots are generally a bit too short and it would have been nice to listen to them a bit more. Fireflies would have been nice. Fireflies filling their air with their mysterious otherworldly gloom. I bought their latest album afterwards, but I do not think that it will be able to live up to their live performance. 20:00 -- Aqua Marina As someone from the coast I am somewhat of a thick head and I do not give up that easily, which means that after the splendid Unicorn performance, I headed towards the supposed place where the "elusive" band from Poland was supposed to make an appearance. ... and there they were. No word about the previous day ... water under the bridge or down the Weser ... anyway. Five voices, choral elements and some short nice songs. They appear to have a certain idea on how to express their kind of music. They increase in voices and complexity the longer the track takes and create an atmosphere by this. Considering that they are able to sing and have good voices, it should have been an easy task to leave a positive impression. But they did not. Maybe it has been the splendid previous performance of Unicorn or the memory from the previous day, it simply did not "click" so to speak. They may be good, but I am not in the position to write about this properly. I left after a couple of songs and headed back home rather early, but had a lovely chat with one of the band members of Unicorn on the ferry that I needed to take in order to cross the river Weser and in order to get home. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:LocTup Together]][[Category:Za Horyzontem]][[Category:Unicorn]][[Category:Aqua Marina]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-06]] </div> c2278222e638c7da55c4177a03b1f021616512c5 304 299 2022-08-15T16:30:46Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Early in the morning on a Saturday I went to the farmers market in Vegesack in order to buy vegetables for the forthcoming week. Since I had slept a little bit too long, I returned to Vegesack later on in order to get my weekly infusion of coffee. At that time some of the bands would also sing at various locations throughout the precinct and it was there that I had a chance to witness on how Tripple wrapped the local population around their Scottish fingers and encouraged them to a sing-along; of course I immediately hastened my pace and sneaked away behind them. Be it at a Dream Theater or a Rush concert, I would always sing along, but to do this in a precinct and to folk music is out of the question. To say it with Pink Floyd: Run Like Hell. On my way back to the ferry I stumbled over the Polish band Aqua Marina, but I did not question them about the non-performance on prior (Friday) evening. In fact, I merely passed them by and left them to their preparation of singing in the precinct and bringing joy to the local population. <strong>17:00 -- LocTup Together</strong> An elderly couple or two elderly persons were the first band that I would properly listen to on this day. Pretty basic stuff. I only stayed for a couple of songs. If you are into somewhat narrative and minimalist shanty folk stuff, then they could be of interest, but with most of the listeners being a bit older, I also felt somewhat out of place and moved on to somewhere else. They talked about the Polish band Za Horyzontem and recommended them for their music and their stage act. Since their next performance would be scheduled quite soon(ish), I made up my mind to give them a try. Interlude ... I went off to a shopping mall to buy myself something to drink ... and on the way I listened to a couple of songs of the performance by Armstrong`s Patent. Shanty stuff. Period. It just does not always work for me. They were good ... at times it feels like, as if you only need to hear one track, in order to have heard them all. ... Interlude <strong>18:30 -- Za Horyzontem</strong> Yeah ... no. It is difficult to write about some bands, especially when not more than a few track were listened to. They appear to be a funny and very energetic band. Two female vocalists delivered lyrics in either English or Polish, which was quite good to listen to. The violin player was good as well and it was nice to see the interplay of these three musicians. A bass and an acoustic guitar added some additional sound and volume, while the drummer did his best to get stretch my patience. Mr. Nit-picky is at it again, but the predictable way in which the drum patterns revealed themselves made it a bit difficult for me to enjoy it. Accentuated hitting of the snare drum is a nice thing, but an ever and ever more predictable approach made it slightly tiring. They appeared to be a jolly good bunch, but it did not work for me at this point ... sorry. They are by no means bad, it was just the wrong time and location for me. Maybe I should have had one or two beers. Hell knows. Hell always knows. <strong>19:00 -- Unicorn</strong> As can be seen from the time between this band and the one prior to it, it had been a rather short lived attendance by me. Looking back it had been the right decision. Unicorn, a slightly unoriginal band name, were much more in line with what I like and enjoy at that day. Along with Tortilla Flat they had been one of two bands that really made me enjoy this festival. A pleasure to watch, an unbelievably charming performance and some really nice tunes. I sat down, had a beer and enjoyed the performance. Folk and shanty lyrics were on the menu. A violin player, a guitar player and an accordion/double bass player -- as he later told be, he is able to play both instruments at the same time with his accordion; one hand for each -- plus a singer occupied the stage. What had been written about the vocalist of Les Souillés de fond de cale is true in this regard as well, if you have a someone with charisma and a experience to guide the audience through the performance, then such a band will easily garner attention. To have a good voice and vocal range and the ability to use it does not hurt as well. Somewhat in the tradition of English folk in terms of the atmosphere, time flew and the mixture of instrumental and vocal driven parts were really really enjoyable. Sadly the time slots are generally a bit too short and it would have been nice to listen to them a bit more. Fireflies would have been nice. Fireflies filling their air with their mysterious otherworldly gloom. I bought their latest album afterwards, but I do not think that it will be able to live up to their live performance. <strong>20:00 -- Aqua Marina</strong> As someone from the coast I am somewhat of a thick head and I do not give up that easily, which means that after the splendid Unicorn performance, I headed towards the supposed place where the "elusive" band from Poland was supposed to make an appearance. ... and there they were. No word about the previous day ... water under the bridge or down the Weser ... anyway. Five voices, choral elements and some short nice songs. They appear to have a certain idea on how to express their kind of music. They increase in voices and complexity the longer the track takes and create an atmosphere by this. Considering that they are able to sing and have good voices, it should have been an easy task to leave a positive impression. But they did not. Maybe it has been the splendid previous performance of Unicorn or the memory from the previous day, it simply did not "click" so to speak. They may be good, but I am not in the position to write about this properly. I left after a couple of songs and headed back home rather early, but had a lovely chat with one of the band members of Unicorn on the ferry that I needed to take in order to cross the river Weser and in order to get home. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:LocTup Together]][[Category:Za Horyzontem]][[Category:Unicorn]][[Category:Aqua Marina]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-06]] </div> 0f56612a72e9a08f28e8f42c24ce989a9f90a479 0 125 296 2022-08-15T16:01:08Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a perfo..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Again a rather late hour marked my arrival at the festival, because in the early days I had been off to Oldenburg in order to spend some money on the Ceramic Days, which inconveniently took place at the same weekend. And no, 250 € for a bowl is too much and it does not matter how well it is made. Especially if it has to be washed by hand, because you cannot put it in the dish washer. Anyway ... 16:15 -- Tripple No techno music in sight, a bright warm/hot sun and one litre of wheat beer gulped down, what better thing to do, then to sit down on the heated up floor and enjoy some music? Summer times and a brillant atmosphere. Aside from certain rather depressive music branches, how can a band possibly fail at a live performance under such conditions? Ludicrous! The band has their "routine" so to speak and they deliver the songs they know and they are familiar with. I knew several -- all (?) -- of them already, but the setting was different and the sun fried my brain, which means that all was good. Of course some kind of variation would have been nice, maybe some choral elements in the melodies to spice it a bit up. But considering that this was presumably their 10th or so performance over the course of the weekend they delivered and were a lot of fun. ... still no free whiskey ... a disaster. I had a chat with one of them prior to their performance and they have recorded a release ... which has not seen the light of day so far, yet. Interlude ... I shortly attended a concert by The Foxes. They wanted to engage the audience and distributed flyers. Sing along, sing along, have fun. No, I do not want to sing along. And no, I do not like group pressure. I left shortly afterwards. Pekel, played some nice tunes. Yeah that is all ... sorry. ... Interlude 18:00 -- Unicorn I wanted to close the weekend and a very hard and mentally draining week at work with something that would leave me with a nice impression. Hardly surprising Unicorn delivered. They offered some other tracks than on the previous performance that I had attended and this time a band member from an entirely different band, made an unexpected and wonderfully executed Riverdance performance while Unicorn played the tunes. What had been written about in the previous concert became ever more apparent in this one: Unicorn have been around for some time, are a well settled band, know how to entertain the audience -- in limits -- and are well skilled in their instruments. At times the vocalist reminded me on Candice Night from Blackmore's Night, but without all the ridiculous lyrics and stuff. Also the music had a vibe that pointed in this direction. Again, a pleasure to watch. Conclusion: If there were two bands, whose performance I would, from today's perspective, attend without much pondering or deliberation, then it would be Tortilla Flat and Unicorn; sorry Tripple and no, bribery with some "wee drams" would not have helped you in this regard. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-07]] </div> d9db2d39b2547d6b4b8bc1fcd11d428bac1508bf 300 296 2022-08-15T16:27:56Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Again a rather late hour marked my arrival at the festival, because in the early days I had been off to Oldenburg in order to spend some money on the Ceramic Days, which inconveniently took place at the same weekend. And no, 250 € for a bowl is too much and it does not matter how well it is made. Especially if it has to be washed by hand, because you cannot put it in the dish washer. Anyway ... 16:15 -- Tripple No techno music in sight, a bright warm/hot sun and one litre of wheat beer gulped down, what better thing to do, then to sit down on the heated up floor and enjoy some music? Summer times and a brillant atmosphere. Aside from certain rather depressive music branches, how can a band possibly fail at a live performance under such conditions? Ludicrous! The band has their "routine" so to speak and they deliver the songs they know and they are familiar with. I knew several -- all (?) -- of them already, but the setting was different and the sun fried my brain, which means that all was good. Of course some kind of variation would have been nice, maybe some choral elements in the melodies to spice it a bit up. But considering that this was presumably their 10th or so performance over the course of the weekend they delivered and were a lot of fun. ... still no free whiskey ... a disaster. I had a chat with one of them prior to their performance and they have recorded a release ... which has not seen the light of day so far, yet. Interlude ... I shortly attended a concert by The Foxes. They wanted to engage the audience and distributed flyers. Sing along, sing along, have fun. No, I do not want to sing along. And no, I do not like group pressure. I left shortly afterwards. Pekel, played some nice tunes. Yeah that is all ... sorry. ... Interlude 18:00 -- Unicorn I wanted to close the weekend and a very hard and mentally draining week at work with something that would leave me with a nice impression. Hardly surprising Unicorn delivered. They offered some other tracks than on the previous performance that I had attended and this time a band member from an entirely different band, made an unexpected and wonderfully executed Riverdance performance while Unicorn played the tunes. What had been written about in the previous concert became ever more apparent in this one: Unicorn have been around for some time, are a well settled band, know how to entertain the audience -- in limits -- and are well skilled in their instruments. At times the vocalist reminded me on Candice Night from Blackmore's Night, but without all the ridiculous lyrics and stuff. Also the music had a vibe that pointed in this direction. Again, a pleasure to watch. Conclusion: If there were two bands, whose performance I would, from today's perspective, attend without much pondering or deliberation, then it would be Tortilla Flat and Unicorn; sorry Tripple and no, bribery with some "wee drams" would not have helped you in this regard. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Tripple]][[Category:Unicorn]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-07]] </div> e84a0a0aadbada7e924fc6e6ffbbc947e5331200 301 300 2022-08-15T16:28:36Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Again a rather late hour marked my arrival at the festival, because in the early days I had been off to Oldenburg in order to spend some money on the Ceramic Days, which inconveniently took place at the same weekend. And no, 250 € for a bowl is too much and it does not matter how well it is made. Especially if it has to be washed by hand, because you cannot put it in the dish washer. Anyway ... <strong>16:15 -- Tripple</strong> No techno music in sight, a bright warm/hot sun and one litre of wheat beer gulped down, what better thing to do, then to sit down on the heated up floor and enjoy some music? Summer times and a brillant atmosphere. Aside from certain rather depressive music branches, how can a band possibly fail at a live performance under such conditions? Ludicrous! The band has their "routine" so to speak and they deliver the songs they know and they are familiar with. I knew several -- all (?) -- of them already, but the setting was different and the sun fried my brain, which means that all was good. Of course some kind of variation would have been nice, maybe some choral elements in the melodies to spice it a bit up. But considering that this was presumably their 10th or so performance over the course of the weekend they delivered and were a lot of fun. ... still no free whiskey ... a disaster. I had a chat with one of them prior to their performance and they have recorded a release ... which has not seen the light of day so far, yet. Interlude ... I shortly attended a concert by The Foxes. They wanted to engage the audience and distributed flyers. Sing along, sing along, have fun. No, I do not want to sing along. And no, I do not like group pressure. I left shortly afterwards. Pekel, played some nice tunes. Yeah that is all ... sorry. ... Interlude <strong>18:00 -- Unicorn</strong> I wanted to close the weekend and a very hard and mentally draining week at work with something that would leave me with a nice impression. Hardly surprising Unicorn delivered. They offered some other tracks than on the previous performance that I had attended and this time a band member from an entirely different band, made an unexpected and wonderfully executed Riverdance performance while Unicorn played the tunes. What had been written about in the previous concert became ever more apparent in this one: Unicorn have been around for some time, are a well settled band, know how to entertain the audience -- in limits -- and are well skilled in their instruments. At times the vocalist reminded me on Candice Night from Blackmore's Night, but without all the ridiculous lyrics and stuff. Also the music had a vibe that pointed in this direction. Again, a pleasure to watch. Conclusion: If there were two bands, whose performance I would, from today's perspective, attend without much pondering or deliberation, then it would be Tortilla Flat and Unicorn; sorry Tripple and no, bribery with some "wee drams" would not have helped you in this regard. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Tripple]][[Category:Unicorn]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-07]] </div> ecc2910f4087b11a31160f6e05083d53cc6c11e0 302 301 2022-08-15T16:28:57Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) Again a rather late hour marked my arrival at the festival, because in the early days I had been off to Oldenburg in order to spend some money on the Ceramic Days, which inconveniently took place at the same weekend. And no, 250 € for a bowl is too much and it does not matter how well it is made. Especially if it has to be washed by hand, because you cannot put it in the dish washer. Anyway ... <strong>16:15 -- Tripple</strong> No techno music in sight, a bright warm/hot sun and one litre of wheat beer gulped down, what better thing to do, then to sit down on the heated up floor and enjoy some music? Summer times and a brillant atmosphere. Aside from certain rather depressive music branches, how can a band possibly fail at a live performance under such conditions? Ludicrous! The band has their "routine" so to speak and they deliver the songs they know and they are familiar with. I knew several -- all (?) -- of them already, but the setting was different and the sun fried my brain, which means that all was good. Of course some kind of variation would have been nice, maybe some choral elements in the melodies to spice it a bit up. But considering that this was presumably their 10th or so performance over the course of the weekend they delivered and were a lot of fun. ... still no free whiskey ... a disaster. I had a chat with one of them prior to their performance and they have recorded a release ... which has not seen the light of day so far, yet. Interlude ... I shortly attended a concert by The Foxes. They wanted to engage the audience and distributed flyers. Sing along, sing along, have fun. No, I do not want to sing along. And no, I do not like group pressure. I left shortly afterwards. Pekel, played some nice tunes. Yeah that is all ... sorry. ... Interlude <strong>18:00 -- Unicorn</strong> I wanted to close the weekend and a very hard and mentally draining week at work with something that would leave me with a nice impression. Hardly surprising Unicorn delivered. They offered some other tracks than on the previous performance that I had attended and this time a band member from an entirely different band, made an unexpected and wonderfully executed Riverdance performance while Unicorn played the tunes. What had been written about in the previous concert became ever more apparent in this one: Unicorn have been around for some time, are a well settled band, know how to entertain the audience -- in limits -- and are well skilled in their instruments. At times the vocalist reminded me on Candice Night from Blackmore's Night, but without all the ridiculous lyrics and stuff. Also the music had a vibe that pointed in this direction. Again, a pleasure to watch. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> If there were two bands, whose performance I would, from today's perspective, attend without much pondering or deliberation, then it would be Tortilla Flat and Unicorn; sorry Tripple and no, bribery with some "wee drams" would not have helped you in this regard. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Tripple]][[Category:Unicorn]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-07]] </div> bfe16e66a85ff0b765caa185848fd98717f46a10 0 126 297 2022-08-15T16:02:13Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} -- Good weather -- To see the pretzel shop sold out at Friday evening at some point made me speechless. And not only me. I overheard some discussion..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} -- Good weather -- To see the pretzel shop sold out at Friday evening at some point made me speechless. And not only me. I overheard some discussions on this issue on Saturday as well. There is no reason not to have pretzels or any other lye roll ... thing ... available at any point in time. -- Not many vegetarian dishes or food available. Especially not by the restaurants. -- The homepage of the event as well as the flyer was only in German; afaik. -- There was some confusion about which stages were where. -- One stage, number 9, was way off ... was this one really necessary? No ... no wait. Keep it and setup a proper metal stage there. All we need is beer and we are fine. Just provide us with some space to start a nice freaking pit. A couple of ambulances might be good. Better safe than sorry. -- Pricy cocktails. Why? -- No mobile coffee shop. I wanted some proper coffee and did not get one. Kaffeetante ftw? -- Where the fireworks were supposed to take place was not known at the information booth. -- Jolly good atmosphere and chatty bands. -- No coherent quality of band entries on the homepage. Some have contact addresses others not. Why? Some texts were rather short, while others were surprisingly long. Not always is the country given on the homepage. Absolutely not good. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-08]] </div> f2b0ec7aa13e5c6744b8d9eb581107c4bb1c2847 0 123 307 306 2022-08-21T21:35:06Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} (This "text" is more about the experience at the Festival Maritim than what would be written normally. All written without taking notes after a performance and all basically from memory) <strong>19:00 -- Les Souillés de fond de cale</strong> One thing can be said about this band: their vocalist was really great. His presence and charisma was something that even on a small stage had a captivating effect. It would not be the only band to rely on this and use a "focal musician" or proper front singer so to speak. They played a couple of shanty and folk songs and then they lost me. I am fully aware people are moved by the war in Ukraine, but to limit the aspect of "thinking about and remembrance of" this conflict ... what about the recent or rather long lasting events in Yemen, Syria, Libya and so on and so forth? Nothing? ... well well ... Luckily this had been the only instance I had to deal with this stuff. [Disclaimer: I denounce all wars and all of them should all stop immediately and all involved parties should face harsh punishments after an independent panel has established the guilts and penalties. Just in case anyone doubts my position on this stuff.] Moving on to another band. ... sadly ... <strong>19:00 -- Pyrates</strong> I listened to a couple of songs, but merely from a distance, since quite a crowd had been gathered in front of the stage and I did not want to get closer. There is still a level of anxiousness due to the Covid stuff within me. Good catchy folk music ... a lot of action on the stage. Looked fun, but due to the previous band, my mind had been elsewhere. Again ... sadly. <strong>20:30 -- Tortilla Flat</strong> Holy ... shit. If I ever needed a band to kick me in the butt and to remind me on how good it feels to be able to listen to punk and metal on a stage again, this band applied the proper treatment. Every track an ample medication to quench my thirst, every guitar riff an application of a balm on wounds I did not know I had. Back when I lived in Heidelberg, quite some time prior to the Covid Times, I would generally venture out to concerts; something to have diminished over the course of years and with each additional town I lived in. Tortilla Flat reminded me on this lack of concerts again; something not as easy to get done here, in Lemwerder where I am "living" right now, or in Bremen for that matter as in Heidelberg, but challenge accepted, I would say. Anyway, they were so much fun. They were so good. A mixture of punk, hard rock and rock; maybe they ventured over a little bit into the metal realm, but this would have been nuances and therefore largely negligible. Upbeat music with a lot of kick and three freaking bag pipes to create a wall of sound that ebbed and flowed in "merciless blasts" over the audience. They were not a constant occurrence in every song, but a good portion had them. And yes, they also played some of those bagpipe songs which not only did feel like beating a dead horse, but also every of the other ten thousand animals its spirit had been reborn into. An endless parade of dead beasts and we do our best to increase the number even more. Anyway, along with these instruments a guitar, a bass, drum and an accordion set the sound of the band. The tracks meander through the variety of styles and genres and it is a good band to enjoy in the evening, when the stage is able to support them with lightning and maybe even stage fog. They delivered and and delivered and time flew by. On a small side note: next time some proper double bass blasts by the drums, please. Thank you. If I had to pick a favourite band of the festival, this would be one of them. They had to share this spot with... but more on that on the Saturday review. <strong>22:00 -- Aqua Marina</strong> In all honesty, I am absolutely not joking what I am about to write here, but I left the performance of a band that really blew me away in order to see this band from Poland. I really wanted to see them. The short description in the leaflet of the festival sounded somehow intriguing: "an a-cappella band, who started their music while learning to sing together." They also have their first recording out. I am a bit familiar with folk music from Easter Europe and I was really curious on how they would sound and interpret it. Well, I headed over to the stage and then nothing. The band did ... not ... show ... up. An empty stage, no information, nothing. Several people were standing there and were waiting for them; me being one of them. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour. Later I asked at an information booth about this band and this incident and they assured me that they were indeed there and were expected to perform on the next day(s) ... After this disappointment, a rescheduling was in order. A new band on Friday and Aqua Marina on Saturday, because everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, occasionally I am a nice person. Response from the band<br/> <i>You're right, we started the performance at 10:10 [22:10; note from the writer] on Friday in contact with the organizers due to technical issue. As far as we know everyone enjoyed our concerts. :) When it comes to the second part of your message, we're very happy that you liked the band before us. They're amazing! The most important for us is that the organizers of the International Festival Maritim and our audience were satisfied. :)</i> <strong>22:00 -- Tripple</strong> Off to another band, then. Thankfully they have thrown me a lifeline since the end of the festival, which finally enables me to understand their band name. The simple stuff is occasional too easy and immediately apparent to me. I imagined Tripple to be a play on triplet or on tripel or on triply, but never on "trippeln", like it is in German, or tripple its pendant in English. Why easy, when you can have it complicated. Ungood and maybe even double-plus-ungood. Tripple hail from the North East of Scotland. According to the festival's leaflet they sing in three tongues: Scottish, Doric and Gaelic; you can add English to this as well ... but maybe that would have sounded too banal and obvious, but what do I know. Three women occupy the stage and it is revealed that this would be a mother with her two daughters. Well ... which probably reveals something about the past of the band: too much time in the dark days of the year and what else to do, than to sing the time away? Just look at all the scores of metal bands in Scandinavia. Moving on very quickly. Their performance had a slight additional challenge: the techno sounds from a bar placed at the promenade of the nearby Weser. Thud, thud, thud. It was basically a constant bombardment. Thud, thud, thud. Yet they were not to be discouraged. One well performed song after another filled the air. Yet with only vocals at their disposal, it was difficult to get the upper hand over the thuds. In style it was only a-cappella and their music was a variety of occasional humorous, balladesk, but generally quite catchy music. They engage with the audience, they told short funny stories and appear to be a jolly and good-spirited bunch. And of course the issue of Whiskey had to be brought up. Maybe it is a prerequisite for a band from Scotland to sing about it, because otherwise they get no financial support from the government ... what the heck do I know. No, they offered no suggestions regarding spirits from their region. They did also not have a cask with them. A slight disappointment. I left a bit early, because it was difficult to really concentrate on the music with all the thud, thud, thud going on. I would give them another try on Sunday, where they would be due to play at a different location and at an earlier date, which means that the chances might be better that the thud, thud, thud would then be far off... hopefully. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Festival Maritim]][[Category:Vegesack]][[Category:Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Bremen]][[Category:Shanty]][[Category:Folk]][[Category:Festival]][[Category:Les Souillés de fond de cale]] [[Category:Pyrates]][[Category:Tortilla Flat]][[Category:Aqua Marina]][[Category:Tripple]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Shanty]] [[Genre::Folk]] [[Category::Festival]] [[Date::2022-08-05]] </div> 05b3c05cfd60455f5d7edcadbf0966c272f0455d 0 127 308 2022-09-05T19:02:30Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h (45m show + 45 min conversation)<br /> Tickets: 10 AUS$<br /> Live: no. Prerecorded.<br /> Good location with two (!) stages and both..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h (45m show + 45 min conversation)<br /> Tickets: 10 AUS$<br /> Live: no. Prerecorded.<br /> Good location with two (!) stages and both were used by Merpire during the concert. How? Well, at some point the part of the band ran out through the back door, arms flailing and such, only to enter the venue through the front door and to enter the other stage. After some amount of music on that stage, off they went back again. Easy-going stuff, catchy music, good stage performance, good camera work and atmosphere. What a difference it makes to have a crowd. The sound, the ability to exchange words with them or even merely have the sound of cheering once a song is over. Really fun stuff and quite captivating, which made this pre-recorded stream quite enjoyable. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Merpire]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Rock]][[Category:Alternative]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Rock]] [[Genre::Alternative]] [[Band::Merpire]] [[Date::2022-09-04]] </div> a0e60f31b91c6df30f6b86946e2f18bd46ac4816 309 308 2023-01-09T22:15:10Z Adsoluser 1 Adsoluser moved page [[Live 09-04 - Merpire - Simulation Ride Album Launch + After (the) Party Conversation]] to [[Live 2022-09-04 - Merpire - Simulation Ride Album Launch + After (the) Party Conversation]] wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1:30h (45m show + 45 min conversation)<br /> Tickets: 10 AUS$<br /> Live: no. Prerecorded.<br /> Good location with two (!) stages and both were used by Merpire during the concert. How? Well, at some point the part of the band ran out through the back door, arms flailing and such, only to enter the venue through the front door and to enter the other stage. After some amount of music on that stage, off they went back again. Easy-going stuff, catchy music, good stage performance, good camera work and atmosphere. What a difference it makes to have a crowd. The sound, the ability to exchange words with them or even merely have the sound of cheering once a song is over. Really fun stuff and quite captivating, which made this pre-recorded stream quite enjoyable. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Merpire]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2022]][[Category:Australia]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Rock]][[Category:Alternative]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2022]] [[Genre::Australia]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Rock]] [[Genre::Alternative]] [[Band::Merpire]] [[Date::2022-09-04]] </div> a0e60f31b91c6df30f6b86946e2f18bd46ac4816 0 128 310 2023-01-09T22:15:10Z Adsoluser 1 Adsoluser moved page [[Live 09-04 - Merpire - Simulation Ride Album Launch + After (the) Party Conversation]] to [[Live 2022-09-04 - Merpire - Simulation Ride Album Launch + After (the) Party Conversation]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Live 2022-09-04 - Merpire - Simulation Ride Album Launch + After (the) Party Conversation]] c9f0331abe2e30057e3e3074761b1e63f8a12e77 0 129 311 2023-01-09T22:19:55Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1h<br /> Tickets: 5€<br /> First live review of 2023 and judging from the quality of the performance of Jolanda Moletta, it appears this..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~1h<br /> Tickets: 5€<br /> First live review of 2023 and judging from the quality of the performance of Jolanda Moletta, it appears this year is off to a good start. As all too often, I had been utterly unfamiliar with her music and did not listen to any of it beforehand, nor had I ever heard of her before; the same is true of the label Ambientologist. Who is Jolanda Moletta, then? According to her Bandcamp page, she "[...] explores sound through a multimedia perspective, experimenting with vocals, short films, collage animation and more". She also "[...] fronted the alternative band She Owl for over a decade". This does not help us much in this regard, or? The setting was as follows: a close-up focus on her person, while microphones are placed on either side of her. In the background a video plays, which shows a picture of a full moon that rises during the first track and appears in either his normal colour or at some point in red; which reminds me on Morrorwind, but that is a different story. At some rare moments glimpses on other equipment parts were given. Maybe it would be a bit unfair, but the basic premise of her music are layers. Layers, layers, layers, timing and variation. To make one thing clear right from the start. There are no "instruments". There are hardly any beats. There is nearly nothing that would accompany her or would work as a counterpoint to the voice. "Spell III: In the Great City Solitude" differs in this regard due to a very minimalist electronic pattern. Vocals appear at some rare moments and introduce parts of the music. Does it need more? Actually not, because with the help of repetitious vocal sounds or fragments in the background, her performance hovers on top of it and this play between these is what grabs the attention and sets the mood. This is not acapella, but rather a weird though intense expression of vocals whose structures attempt to escape an immediate understanding to the inattentive listener. One needs to keep all the focus on her person and let not any distraction divert it at any moment; the ever nudging mobile phone for instance needs to take a second row here. Ritualistic is an aspect that comes to mind in this regard. An archaic minimalism (sensorially) enhanced by modern technology. Relax. Focus. Meditation. Otherworldly at times. Slow and haunting. Of course this could easily lead to a disaster, but the performance is utterly captivating. Perhaps the worst aspect is not to be able to experience it all on site. Here the distance and the lack of the atmosphere of the location is what limits the experience; something she can do nothing about. While it is already impressive to witness these sounds "from afar", what would a closer proximity to these amalgam of ideas be like; no, placing the face very very close to the screen does not help in this regard. Whilst Bandcamp can help you experience her performance from afar, it cannot compensate for the intensity of a concert and watching at a venue with her being the sole focus of attention. Note: It is also slightly annoying to see that Bandcamp has not been able to fix the error reported by me so far and that it occurs on the site of the replay again ... though in a different form this time. Well, one might say that that is at least something. And some fog hovering around her posture would have been nice. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Jolanda Moletta]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:Germany]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::Germany]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Jolanda Moletta]] [[Date::2023-01-06]] </div> d7aa1ec98738f3ac0f55aa0ac2e7219848f14122 0 130 312 2023-03-21T21:28:37Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~45min<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> A secluded studio. A place enwrapped with or lost in a green hell. The studio where th..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~45min<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> A secluded studio. A place enwrapped with or lost in a green hell. The studio where the latest album of Genevieve Artadi was recorded. No live performance, no furious celebratory exultation of the deeds done, but a (sanitized) audio-visual presentation of facets thrown together of moments to craft this latest release. Though a somewhat surreal experience to look at, due to the closeness as well as distance of nature and modernity. How in either case the sounds are expressed and are experienced. Time to figure out the arrangements and when they took place in a chronological order: Forever Forever. A modern and rather intimate approach to record the band and the sessions and stuff. Smartphones as a means to archive all that took place, by which the images had an occasional shakiness or blurriness. This was what the audiences was guided through. Music here and music there. A recording here and a recording there. A relaxing and somewhat odd way to "partake" in this all. No juggling, only balancing! In some respect it was a narrative, a telltale of how things came to be and how things were, but one cannot touch or fully grasp it. A modern "spectacle". At times it comes over as a "walking simulator", but without any means of interaction. The music has the wild and somewhat unpredictable character that has also been part of Genevieve Artadi's earlier recordings. Good to see a continuation in this regard. Electronic beats, fuzzy harmonies, odd rhythms and a good portion of unpredictability. Be it a song or the album itself, there is always a chance to experience the possibility to be thrown thence here and thence there. Breaks in style and sound are not uncommon in terms of the music of the band and it is nice to experience a willingness to dare the challenge the listener in this regard. Amusing music, an interesting glimpse into the recording process of the album. A lot of fun stuff. The band was around in the chat and was responding to the questions without any hesitation or delay. Note: There is a nagging feeling that I once wrote a review about an earlier release of her, but it simply cannot be found (any more). {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Genevieve Artadi]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:USA]][[Category:Pop]][[Category:Experimental]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::USA]] [[Genre::Pop]] [[Genre::Experimental]] [[Band::Genevieve Artadi]] [[Date::2023-03-21]] </div> c020ad7f7af4f61938d758c23879df3a8de03151 0 131 313 2023-04-12T12:47:37Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: over two hours...<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> My knowledge of punk is limited. Really limited. I can therefore only write..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: over two hours...<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> My knowledge of punk is limited. Really limited. I can therefore only write about how I perceived the music and whether I enjoyed it or not. <b>Mark Ayling</b> Not my cup of tea ... skipped it. <b>The Eddies</b> A lot of fun. This is how I would summarize the performance. Catchy tunes, nice rhythms and riffs, engagement with the crowd and all this kind of stuff. They really get their performance across, which is also due to the level of energy contained in their songs. I listened to their songs for a second time in order to write this review and these are really cool and well arranged. Some of the band members are also a bit older. The lead-guitarist is sixty. Thumbs up and a recommendation. Check them out if you can. <b>Toxik Ephex</b> Not the first time that Bandcamp presents a band that appears to kill it live. For me, Aberdeen is not around the corner, but it would have been nice if it would. Awesome performance, great atmosphere and music. 44 years and still rocking. Really catchy tunes, a lot of influences from other genres and can easily enjoyed by someone with an open mind; lyrics and music. Of course the crowd did its part in this regard and there was even a small pit in front of the stage. Also nice of a member of the audience to be concerned about the health of the drummer and to provide him with something to drink. Check them out if you could ... awesome band. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Toxik Ephex]][[Category:The Eddies]][[Category:Mark Ayling]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Punk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Punk]] [[Band::Toxik Ephex]] [[Band::The Eddiesx]] [[Band::Mark Ayling]] [[Date::2023-04-07]] </div> 7a0f101a67fa1b3a7697eb7c01fe89a8a860eef7 314 313 2023-04-12T12:47:53Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: over two hours...<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> My knowledge of punk is limited. Really limited. I can therefore only write about how I perceived the music and whether I enjoyed it or not. <b>Mark Ayling</b> Not my cup of tea ... skipped it. <b>The Eddies</b><br> A lot of fun. This is how I would summarize the performance. Catchy tunes, nice rhythms and riffs, engagement with the crowd and all this kind of stuff. They really get their performance across, which is also due to the level of energy contained in their songs. I listened to their songs for a second time in order to write this review and these are really cool and well arranged. Some of the band members are also a bit older. The lead-guitarist is sixty. Thumbs up and a recommendation. Check them out if you can. <b>Toxik Ephex</b><br> Not the first time that Bandcamp presents a band that appears to kill it live. For me, Aberdeen is not around the corner, but it would have been nice if it would. Awesome performance, great atmosphere and music. 44 years and still rocking. Really catchy tunes, a lot of influences from other genres and can easily enjoyed by someone with an open mind; lyrics and music. Of course the crowd did its part in this regard and there was even a small pit in front of the stage. Also nice of a member of the audience to be concerned about the health of the drummer and to provide him with something to drink. Check them out if you could ... awesome band. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Toxik Ephex]][[Category:The Eddies]][[Category:Mark Ayling]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Punk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Punk]] [[Band::Toxik Ephex]] [[Band::The Eddiesx]] [[Band::Mark Ayling]] [[Date::2023-04-07]] </div> f66338e03c915f6c4fa8e2805edf7b7bbe0c14a8 315 314 2023-04-12T12:48:01Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: over two hours...<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> My knowledge of punk is limited. Really limited. I can therefore only write about how I perceived the music and whether I enjoyed it or not. <b>Mark Ayling</b><br> Not my cup of tea ... skipped it. <b>The Eddies</b><br> A lot of fun. This is how I would summarize the performance. Catchy tunes, nice rhythms and riffs, engagement with the crowd and all this kind of stuff. They really get their performance across, which is also due to the level of energy contained in their songs. I listened to their songs for a second time in order to write this review and these are really cool and well arranged. Some of the band members are also a bit older. The lead-guitarist is sixty. Thumbs up and a recommendation. Check them out if you can. <b>Toxik Ephex</b><br> Not the first time that Bandcamp presents a band that appears to kill it live. For me, Aberdeen is not around the corner, but it would have been nice if it would. Awesome performance, great atmosphere and music. 44 years and still rocking. Really catchy tunes, a lot of influences from other genres and can easily enjoyed by someone with an open mind; lyrics and music. Of course the crowd did its part in this regard and there was even a small pit in front of the stage. Also nice of a member of the audience to be concerned about the health of the drummer and to provide him with something to drink. Check them out if you could ... awesome band. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Toxik Ephex]][[Category:The Eddies]][[Category:Mark Ayling]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Punk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Punk]] [[Band::Toxik Ephex]] [[Band::The Eddiesx]] [[Band::Mark Ayling]] [[Date::2023-04-07]] </div> f4255a70cfd3c266ac732f304903c62566e7cb9e 316 315 2023-04-12T12:48:29Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: over two hours...<br /> Tickets: not sure about the price.<br /> My knowledge of punk is limited. Really limited. I can therefore only write about how I perceived the music and whether I enjoyed it or not. <b>Mark Ayling</b><br> Not my cup of tea ... skipped it. <b>The Eddies</b><br> A lot of fun. This is how I would summarize the performance. Catchy tunes, nice rhythms and riffs, engagement with the crowd and all this kind of stuff. They really get their performance across, which is also due to the level of energy contained in their songs. I listened to their songs for a second time in order to write this review and these are really cool and well arranged. Some of the band members are also a bit older. The lead-guitarist is sixty. Thumbs up and a recommendation. Check them out if you can. <b>Toxik Ephex</b><br> Not the first time that Bandcamp presents a band that appears to kill it live. For me, Aberdeen is not around the corner, but it would have been nice if it would. Awesome performance, great atmosphere and music. 44 years and still rocking. Really catchy tunes, a lot of influences from other genres and can easily enjoyed by someone with an open mind; lyrics and music. Of course the crowd did its part in this regard and there was even a small pit in front of the stage. Also nice of a member of the audience to be concerned about the health of the drummer and to provide him with something to drink. Check them out if you could ... awesome band. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Toxik Ephex]][[Category:The Eddies]][[Category:Mark Ayling]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Punk]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Punk]] [[Band::Toxik Ephex]] [[Band::The Eddies]] [[Band::Mark Ayling]] [[Date::2023-04-07]] </div> c38256406bd2898c4e2d201e706d838b4be34646 0 132 317 2023-08-19T11:01:27Z Adsoluser 1 Created page with "{{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~3:45h Tickets: free There is so much to say about this game, about the live stream and the music that was used for the game. In order to ad..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~3:45h Tickets: free There is so much to say about this game, about the live stream and the music that was used for the game. In order to add some structure to this review, it appears to be best to separate it into three parts: <strong>I: The game</strong> The game has been made available on itch.io and can be downloaded for free. In terms of the genre it is a rpg of sorts. It combines a variety of genres and styles, which range from turn based to real time battles, isometric perspective in terms of the actual game and references to games from the early dungeon crawling era to "modern" games like Undertale. The cover artwork plays homage to the stylistic expression of the early days of rpg games -- see the Wizardry or the Realms of Arkania series. The setting is simple, as is the game itself, which is to expected considering the time to develop it over the course of a year -- not full-time that is -- and by a sole software developer; R3N. One gets some nice settings, which change over the course of the game, has to face various types of fights and beside the end boss, also a terrifying midgame boss fight with an ... no, there will be no spoilers here. It has a lot of charm and it is nice to see how the game and the music harmony with each other. The former was made out of inspiration from the latter. Guided by the music, the player is to experience the various tracks from the album and see how R3N and Panta Rhei have interpreted these. Of course they have left a very distinct kind of humour as well, which has manifested itself in the village and garden level, in which the discussions with the NPCs are littered with insiders and references. During the presentation of the game during the live stream, all of these were explained, but of course not written down for the purpose of this piece of writing or so. Therefore, those who happen to be familiar with the music spread by the label Pure Life and the bands/artists on it, might get this or that nod, while the rest will remain in the shadow. All in all it is a nice game, with an interesting atmosphere and one can see the amount of dedication and energy that went into creating it. So much work in order to present the music in a different kind of way. On a small side-note: the game was also spread as physical copies, but from what I remember, all of the copies were sold and none are available any more. Do not quote me on that, though. <strong>II: The music</strong> Maybe the first idea that would come to mind on how the tracks used for the game could sound, especially considering that it is a rpg, might be "dungeon synth" or maybe even chiptune; in particular the former of these two has seen a rise in prominence and recognition over the last few years. CMD094's music is not of this sort. Rather, and somehow this can be expected due to the label and the kind of music that sees the light of day there, it is a wide variety of electronic sounds that have found their way on the album Aria. It should be noted that or rather it needs to be emphasized that the release comes with some additional tracks now, which increase the overall amount from nine to fifteen in total. Panta Rhei mentioned sixteen tracks, but I do not know where the last one is supposed to be. Layers of electronic sounds guide the listener through the various landscapes and through the tracks. What makes this release interesting is not only the use of odd and engaging melodies, it is also the variety of approaches, which can be found in the tracks. It is not predictable, but good enough to maintain the interest. With influences from soundscape music with a lot of atmosphere over to music with electronic beats, it is difficult to find the smallest denominator in this regard. Some of these facets are even mixed together, which makes it even more difficult to nail it down. For instance, the splendid opener and its very particular sound, is revisited later on, but differently though still interesting. The bottom line here is that, similar to the game itself, a lot can be discovered on this album. >Maybe this had been one of reasons it had been chosen to make a game out of. <strong>III: The live stream</strong> Well, the Pure Life streams over at Bandcamp tend to be a little bit longer, but this one has definitely taken the cake. R3N and Panta Rhei discussed exhaustively the game and the music, while always responding to input from the "audience" submitted via the chat. Overall, one has to admit that it was a great though rather long stream, which at times felt as if one would be flooded with too many details and information. Nevertheless, the length that this label went through to support and to spread the music is not something that is common on Bandcamp. The game, the music and the presentation need to be praised and pointed to as exceptional. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Aria]][[Category:Pure Life]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Game]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Electronic]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Electronic]] [[Band::Aria]] [[Band::Pure Life]] [[Date::2023-08-17]] </div> 2134bd2d17b1201152e2f0743c12e2f895ec2418 318 317 2023-08-19T11:01:44Z Adsoluser 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Template:StartContent}} Length: ~3:45h<br /> Tickets: free<br /> There is so much to say about this game, about the live stream and the music that was used for the game. In order to add some structure to this review, it appears to be best to separate it into three parts: <strong>I: The game</strong> The game has been made available on itch.io and can be downloaded for free. In terms of the genre it is a rpg of sorts. It combines a variety of genres and styles, which range from turn based to real time battles, isometric perspective in terms of the actual game and references to games from the early dungeon crawling era to "modern" games like Undertale. The cover artwork plays homage to the stylistic expression of the early days of rpg games -- see the Wizardry or the Realms of Arkania series. The setting is simple, as is the game itself, which is to expected considering the time to develop it over the course of a year -- not full-time that is -- and by a sole software developer; R3N. One gets some nice settings, which change over the course of the game, has to face various types of fights and beside the end boss, also a terrifying midgame boss fight with an ... no, there will be no spoilers here. It has a lot of charm and it is nice to see how the game and the music harmony with each other. The former was made out of inspiration from the latter. Guided by the music, the player is to experience the various tracks from the album and see how R3N and Panta Rhei have interpreted these. Of course they have left a very distinct kind of humour as well, which has manifested itself in the village and garden level, in which the discussions with the NPCs are littered with insiders and references. During the presentation of the game during the live stream, all of these were explained, but of course not written down for the purpose of this piece of writing or so. Therefore, those who happen to be familiar with the music spread by the label Pure Life and the bands/artists on it, might get this or that nod, while the rest will remain in the shadow. All in all it is a nice game, with an interesting atmosphere and one can see the amount of dedication and energy that went into creating it. So much work in order to present the music in a different kind of way. On a small side-note: the game was also spread as physical copies, but from what I remember, all of the copies were sold and none are available any more. Do not quote me on that, though. <strong>II: The music</strong> Maybe the first idea that would come to mind on how the tracks used for the game could sound, especially considering that it is a rpg, might be "dungeon synth" or maybe even chiptune; in particular the former of these two has seen a rise in prominence and recognition over the last few years. CMD094's music is not of this sort. Rather, and somehow this can be expected due to the label and the kind of music that sees the light of day there, it is a wide variety of electronic sounds that have found their way on the album Aria. It should be noted that or rather it needs to be emphasized that the release comes with some additional tracks now, which increase the overall amount from nine to fifteen in total. Panta Rhei mentioned sixteen tracks, but I do not know where the last one is supposed to be. Layers of electronic sounds guide the listener through the various landscapes and through the tracks. What makes this release interesting is not only the use of odd and engaging melodies, it is also the variety of approaches, which can be found in the tracks. It is not predictable, but good enough to maintain the interest. With influences from soundscape music with a lot of atmosphere over to music with electronic beats, it is difficult to find the smallest denominator in this regard. Some of these facets are even mixed together, which makes it even more difficult to nail it down. For instance, the splendid opener and its very particular sound, is revisited later on, but differently though still interesting. The bottom line here is that, similar to the game itself, a lot can be discovered on this album. >Maybe this had been one of reasons it had been chosen to make a game out of. <strong>III: The live stream</strong> Well, the Pure Life streams over at Bandcamp tend to be a little bit longer, but this one has definitely taken the cake. R3N and Panta Rhei discussed exhaustively the game and the music, while always responding to input from the "audience" submitted via the chat. Overall, one has to admit that it was a great though rather long stream, which at times felt as if one would be flooded with too many details and information. Nevertheless, the length that this label went through to support and to spread the music is not something that is common on Bandcamp. The game, the music and the presentation need to be praised and pointed to as exceptional. {{Template:EndContent}} [[Category:Aria]][[Category:Pure Life]][[Category:Bandcamp]][[Category:Bandcamp Live]][[Category:2023]][[Category:UK]][[Category:Game]][[Category:Ambient]][[Category:Electronic]] <div style="display:none;"> [[Year::2023]] [[Genre::UK]] [[Genre::Ambient]] [[Genre::Electronic]] [[Band::Aria]] [[Band::Pure Life]] [[Date::2023-08-17]] </div> 3edc9ed145cc5e2494de7b681c863cd035e698c3